Aaron Donald ends his 2 1/2-year
retirement and returns to the Los Angeles Rams
[August 31, 2026]
By GREG BEACHAM
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Donald returned to the Los Angeles Rams on
Sunday, ending his retirement after 2 1/2 years to chase another
Super Bowl title.
The 35-year-old Donald made his decision after several weeks of
discussion and nearly three months of intensive workouts for a star
defensive lineman who reigned atop his position in a Rams uniform
from 2014 until his retirement in early 2024.
Donald joined a light practice at the Rams’ training complex later
Sunday, shaking hands and exchanging hugs with Myles Garrett and the
rest of his teammates, both old and new.
While he hasn't decided whether he will play in the Rams' season
opener against the 49ers in Australia next month, Donald is eager to
complete a comeback that seemed improbable only three months ago.
“Do I feel like I can play at a high level? Yes,” Donald said. “Do I
feel like I can still be myself? One hundred percent, and if I
didn’t feel like that, I wouldn’t be here.”
Donald agreed to a one-year contract, and ESPN reported he will make
at least $20 million in an incentive-laden deal.
Donald became one of the greatest defensive players of his era
during a decade spent entirely with the Rams in St. Louis and Los
Angeles. He won three AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards
while earning 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight All-Pro selections and a
Super Bowl ring before he retired somewhat abruptly following the
2023-24 season.
After two years of tending to his business interests and enjoying
ample family time, Donald began to entertain the notion of a
comeback this summer after the Rams traded young lineman Jared Verse
in a deal for Garrett, one of Donald’s few peers in contemporary
defensive line play.
“I already thought it was a stacked D-line with Verse ... and then
you bring a guy like Myles Garrett, a generational talent, and then
it’s like, ‘Gosh, that could be fun,’” Donald said with a grin.
Donald and Garrett have combined to win five of the AP’s past nine
Defensive Player of the Year awards, including two of the past three
for Garrett with the Cleveland Browns. While Garrett said he
wouldn't attempt to influence Donald's decision, the two have
exchanged numerous text messages while Donald went through the
training necessary to become his teammate.
With MVP Matthew Stafford returning to lead the league's most
productive offense, Los Angeles was already the betting favorite in
most sportsbooks to win its second Super Bowl title under coach Sean
McVay even before Donald’s comeback. Along with Garrett, Los Angeles
added cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from Kansas City
to a defense that now looks more equipped to keep pace with the
Rams’ offense, which returns every major contributor around
Stafford.
“I think this is a complete team with me here or without me here, so
for me to even have the opportunity to be a part of this, to be with
this team, I take nothing for granted,” Donald said. “It’s a
blessing to be retired from the game for two years and then have the
opportunity to come back and be a part of something special.”
[to top of second column] |
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald warms up before an
NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Dec. 3, 2023, in
Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
McVay has seemed confident for weeks that Donald
was leaning toward a return. Donald said he finalized his decision
to return about two weeks ago after being in almost daily contact
with McVay for several weeks.
“He means a lot to me, and it's way bigger than football,” McVay
said. “There's a lot of history. There's a lot of experiences that
we've shared, a lot of love for each other's families. I'm excited
to start this journey.”
Donald stayed in decent shape during his retirement, and he was
pleasantly surprised by the way his body responded to its return to
NFL-level training. He also says his famed defensive line technique
hasn't declined.
“I've been in a football mindset for the last 14 weeks,” Donald
said. “If anything, it’s just getting back on the grass and knocking
the rust off as far as playing football again, 11 on 11. Work on my
eyes, getting the feel for the game, certain reaction things that
made me who I am. I put myself in the best position the best way I
can with training to get to where I’m at now.”
Donald's 111 career sacks are the Rams' franchise record and the
second-most in NFL history among linemen who primarily played on the
interior. His ability to generate a pass rush between the tackles is
the primary basis of his greatness, but Donald also was a
run-stuffer whose agility and technique forced defenses to
double-team him regularly, freeing up his teammates to excel.
The decision resets Donald's eligibility clock for his
all-but-automatic induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but
he's much more interested in seizing the strong opportunity to play
for a second ring while lining up alongside Garrett and talented
young contributors Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske on
what should be an opponents' nightmare of a defensive front.
Donald joins a significant group of recent NFL stars who have ended
retirements and returned to this punishing sport, including Philip
Rivers, Jason Witten, Marshawn Lynch, Rob Gronkowski and Eric
Weddle, the safety who came back from 2 1/2 years away and joined
Donald on the Rams' short-handed defense for its playoff run to a
championship in early 2022.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
