The Los Angeles Rams had championship assumptions going into the 2026 season even without Aaron Donald’s comeback.
Now that Donald is officially back, the Rams edge closer to Super Bowl-or-bust territory.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith put the standard in blunt terms during “First Take” on Aug. 31, one day after Donald officially ended his 2 1/2-year retirement and rejoined Los Angeles.
“The only possible excuse for the Rams not making the Super Bowl is health,” Smith said in the segment, which was shared via First Take’s X page.
First Take framed Smith’s stance as an expectation that Donald and the Rams will make a Super Bowl run, a high bar to clear even for a team that reached the NFC Championship Game last season.
Los Angeles came within four points of getting there in January, falling 31-27 to Seattle. Now the Rams are adding a historically accomplished defensive player to a roster that was viewed as a title favorite beforehand.
Smith Puts Super Bowl-or-Bust Label on Rams
Smith’s argument is easy to trace.
The Rams return reigning MVP Matthew Stafford after an offense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL last season. They also have Puka Nacua coming off a 129-catch, 1,715-yard campaign and a defense that made one of the offseason’s biggest moves by acquiring Myles Garrett.
Donald makes that group more imposing.
The Rams’ official announcement confirmed Sunday that Donald would return for the 2026 season after spending the previous two years retired. Donald, 35, finished his first stint with the franchise with 111 sacks, three AP Defensive Player of the Year awards, 10 Pro Bowl selections and eight first-team All-Pro nods.
He also owns the championship experience Los Angeles is trying to recapture. Donald helped seal the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory with pressure on the decisive fourth-down stop.
There is a natural unknown after two full seasons away, and Smith’s health caveat matters with Donald entering his age-35 season. Still, Los Angeles spent much of the summer giving him time to determine whether his body could handle another run.
Sean McVay said in July that Donald was following a “very strict, regimented process,” and the Rams later confirmed his training was going “really well” before the comeback became official.
Donald Uplifts Loaded Rams
Donald’s return also creates a pairing that would have sounded unrealistic a few months ago.
Garrett joins Donald after winning two of the past three AP Defensive Player of the Year awards. Together, the two have captured five of the past nine. Opposing offenses now have to account for Garrett off the edge and Donald inside while the Rams can rotate a deep collection of younger pass rushers around them.
Los Angeles structured Donald’s deal with the long season in mind.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that Donald will receive $10 million in base pay and another $10 million in 53-man roster bonuses, with up to $10 million more available through playing-time and playoff incentives. Breer noted the roster bonuses max out over 15 games, leaving room for a potential ramp-up.
That setup makes the opening weeks worth watching. The Rams begin the season against San Francisco in Australia on Sept. 10, and Donald will be working back toward game speed after his extended absence.
Smith, though, has already moved past the question of whether Los Angeles belongs among the contenders.
With Stafford coming off an MVP season, Garrett arriving as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and Donald back in uniform, the expectation has shifted. For Smith, anything short of a Super Bowl appearance now requires an explanation.