After nearly two and a half years out of the league, future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald has come out of retirement and rejoined the Los Angeles Rams, reportedly agreeing to a one-year, $20 million deal on Sunday. Rumors of a potential comeback had been swirling for months, fueled by reports that Donald had been working out with the team and staying in close contact with members of the organization, including head coach Sean McVay. Still, the idea of pairing Donald with two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett felt more like wishful thinking than anything grounded in reality.
Now, though, the Rams — already considered a Super Bowl favorite — look like the team to beat heading into 2026. And the scariest part for the rest of the league? Donald doesn't feel like he's lost a step at all.
"Do I feel like I can play at a high level? Do I feel like I can still be myself? 100%. If I didn't feel like that, I wouldn't be here," Donald told reporters after Sunday's practice, his first back with the team.
"From everything I did, from training with just conditioning to the football transition and doing football drills and things of that nature — I recorded everything, I studied myself to a T, watched every movement, every cut, every hip flip. In my opinion, I don't see a difference. If not, it looks a little cleaner to me." More news: Bills Release Super Bowl Champion Right Before the Start of the Season More news: Browns’ Deshaun Watson Decision Looks Even Worse After Patriots Game Donald may be 35 now, but the last time the NFL saw him on the field, he was still playing like one of its best.
In 2023, his final season before initially retiring, he racked up 53 combined tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 23 quarterback hits, and eight sacks — numbers among the best at his position in the league. That he walked away while still playing at such a high level is still puzzling, and given how close the Rams have come to a title in the years since, it's fair to wonder what might have been had he stayed. Now, fans won't have to wonder anymore.
And if Donald is right that he not only feels like himself again but might even be a little "cleaner," the rest of the NFL has every reason to be worried. More news: Jerry Jones Drops Eyebrow-Raising Comment on Cowboys’ Future
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