The Los Angeles Rams are openly welcoming Aaron Donald back into the fold.
That is, if the retired defensive lineman wants to return, which has become a hot topic following his comments, as well as those from his wife, Erica Donald.
The Rams have shifted the odds for the 2026 season, both with their trade for Myles Garrett and the blockbuster deal before that for cornerback Trent McDuffie. Bringing Donald back could make the Rams even more prohibitive favorites.
Aaron Donald Mulling Return to Rams
GettyAaron Donald continues to tease a potential return to the Los Angeles Rams.
Following his retirement in 2023, Donald has insisted that his days on the gridiron as a player are behind him.
That may not be the case anymore.
“I’m for sure flirting with the idea,” Donald said, per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz in a post on June 2. “Helluva an opportunity with the Super Bowl in SoFi this year. If I can find the fire, it’s a possibility.”
Donald’s wife has posted in the past about him coming out of retirement, and said, “Ya’ll are hilarious” in a post on X on Tuesday.
Rams head coach Sean McVay did not mince words.
“Listen, if he’s interested, there is no qu–here’s what I’ll say: You talk to Aaron, and you see what he’s saying about that,” McVay told reporters on June 2. “Aaron’s a guy that I stay really close in touch with, and I know the respect that he has for Miles. Talk to him about the opportunity to be able to bring him on board. If Aaron decides he wants to dust him off at the age of 35, I bet you he could still do it at a pretty high clip.”
Donald is sitting on 543 career tackles, 111 sacks, 24 forced fumbles, 7 recoveries, and 150 starts in 154 career games. The Rams are the preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl without Donald coming out of retirement, per Vegas Insider.
Aaron Donald’s Previous Comments Resurface Amid Possible Unretirement
GettyAaron Donald previously denied having any interest in coming out of retirement.
The new surge in intrigue around Donald has led to strong reactions, but also to his past remarks gaining new attention. Donald explained that he set to with a plan to retire two years sooner than he did.
“I was a guy that never wanted to play forever. In my head, I’m gonna Barry Sanders the league. But I always said I was going to do eight years and be done. I just happened to win a Super Bowl my eighth year. I’m like, ‘Man, this is destiny,’” Donald said during the “More Than Football” podcast in May.
“But it’s kind of addictive, too. You can’t just win a Super Bowl and walk away. It’s like, you want to experience that again.”
Donald said that he had a roughly two-hour call with McVay about his return in 2022.
“I wasn’t fully done. I still had that–I wanted to experience that again. So, I chose to come back for two more years. But I knew. I signed the two-year guarantee with a third year if I chose to come back, but I knew in the back of my head, I’m committed, two more years, to trying to get it done again. If it ain’t fall through how it was going to fall through, then I was going to move forward and hang it up, man. And that’s what it was for me.”
Fittingly, adding Garrett has the Rams in a position to win another title since Donald retired. It would be even more fitting for the Rams, who have taken such an aggressive approach to building out their roster, to add a franchise legend as the finishing piece.
Rams Get Good News on Aaron Donald as Erica Donald, Sean McVay Weigh In