Aaron Donald is un-retiring. The Los Angeles Rams announced that the three-time Defensive Player of the Year has agreed to a one-year deal worth $20 million that can escalate up to $30 million for 2026. This ends a retirement that lasted two and a half seasons.
The possibility of Donald unretiring first surfaced when head coach Sean McVay reached out to Donald for his opinion on defensive end Myles Garrett as the team explored a trade for him. Once the Garrett trade went through, speculation about a Donald return began building.
When players arrived for training camp on July 25, McVay confirmed Donald was going through a “very strict, regimented process” to decide whether he wanted to play again. Throughout the preseason, the situation remained genuinely uncertain. As recently as this past Thursday, McVay said the Donald situation was still “up in the air.”
Donald spent his first 10 seasons entirely with the Rams. He won three AP Defensive Player of the Year awards, earned 10 Pro Bowl selections and eight All-Pro selections, and captured a Super Bowl ring before retiring somewhat abruptly in March 2024. Over his career, he’s registered 111 sacks, 176 tackles for loss, and 260 quarterback hits.
With MVP Matthew Stafford leading the NFL’s top-ranked offense, Los Angeles was already the betting favorite in most sportsbooks to win a second Super Bowl title under McVay. The Rams also brought in a number of defensive stars. During free agency, they traded for Trent McDuffie and signed Jaylen Watson to shore up their secondary. They also added Garrett in the aforementioned trade.
It’ll be interesting to see what Donald looks like with the Rams. He is one of the most dominant players in NFL history. If he is able to stay on the field, this could help secure another Super Bowl for the Rams.
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