Aaron Donald, the all-pro defensive tackle who led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl title in 2022, will come out of retirement and return to the team this season, the Rams announced Sunday.
The 35-year-old Donald retired prior to the 2024 season, but announced earlier this summer that he was considering a comeback, leading to a couple of workouts with the team in August under the supervision of head coach Sean McVay.
The Rams did not disclose details of his contract, but ESPN and the NFL Network both reported that it was a one-year, $20 million deal with playoff incentives that could raise the total value of the deal to $30 million.
Donald spoke to the media Sunday afternoon and talked about his reasoning for rejoining the Rams. He said that after seeing the pieces the team had put in place over the last few years, “It’s like, OK, I wish I was still about there playing about now.”
He said that he felt he was still trying to “knock the rust off,” but ABC7 reported that he had been working out with same trainer since high school, who told him, “You haven’t missed a step.”
McVay also spoke to reporters about Donald’s ability to return, saying “It’s a real credit to the special people he’s got around.”
Asked about what it was like walking around the practice field with Donald back on the field, McVay said “It is great. He means a lot to me and it is way bigger than football. There’s a lot of history. There are a lot of experiences that we’ve shared, a lot of love for each other’s families. And so I know for him to want to be able to explore this and come back into the mix.”
And on the way in which conversations happened with Donald prior to his return,” the head coach said, “We had some different timelines in place and it was really like I had told you guys. Everything that I’ve said to you was on his timeline. I think he wanted to get to a point where he knows, just from his previous experiences, I want to be able to be there, be a part of the football team. I think there were some things that he wanted to be able to work through in terms of his workouts and where he felt his body was before he could comfortably get to this spot.
“That was really what went into it. I don’t even want to say like urgency but he and I both had an unspoken understanding like, `All right once we get the roster down, where are you at with it?’ You don’t owe us anything and no matter what there’s lot of love.’ We wanted to make sure that he felt good about doing that. He obviously is incredibly — he has priorities with his family, and so when he does something, he does it all in. That’s what led to being able to get it done Sunday.”
Donald was one of the most dominating defensive lineman in NFL history during his 10 seasons with the Rams, recording 111 sacks, 24 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.
He is one of three players in NFL history to have won the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times — 2017, 2018 and 2020.
He was named to the Pro Bowl in every one of his 10 seasons, earned eight first-team All-Pro honors, and is one of three players named a unanimous selection to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, along with Tom Brady and J.J. Watt.
Donald was drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft by the then-St. Louis Rams, who took him with the 13th overall pick. He played his college football at the University of Pittsburgh.
If Donald can even approach his previous level of play, his return could give the Rams a devastating pair of pass rushers. The team acquired reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett on June 1.
Garrett, 30, set the NFL’s single-season record for sacks last year with 23, and was voted the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second time. He added a league-leading 33 tackles for loss.