The San Francisco 49ers are just days away from opening their regular season against the Los Angeles Rams.
Scheduled for Thursday night, the two teams will face off in Melbourne, Australia. One of the biggest storylines leading up to the game has been the return of star pass rusher Aaron Donald for L.A.
Donald retired following the 2023 season after a historic 10-year career in which he made the Pro Bowl every season. However, the Rams lured him out of retirement this offseason and brought him back to Los Angeles.
His status remained somewhat unknown for Thursday night, as he only committed to returning last week.
49ers Receive Huge News on Donald
Well, on Tuesday afternoon, the 49ers got some good news about Donald’s status. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Rams defensive tackle will not travel with the team to Australia, which rules him out for Week 1.
Via Schefter: “Sources: Rams standout DT Aaron Donald will not travel to Australia for Thursday night’s opener against the 49ers and will be inactive, per me and [Ian Rapoport]. The Rams want to give Donald more time to ramp up before making his much-anticipated return after two seasons of retirement.”
Schefter added, “Aaron Donald’s next chance to play will come in nearly two weeks, when the Rams return home to host the Giants on Monday Night Football.”
Aaron Donald’s next chance to play will come in nearly two weeks, when the Rams return home to host the Giants on Monday Night Football. https://t.co/qiChD3jwx6
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2026
Donald’s NFL Career
After the Rams drafted him out of Pittsburgh in 2014, Donald quickly became the best defensive tackle in the sport.
In addition to making 10 Pro Bowls in 10 seasons, he earned eight first-team All-Pro selections, three Defensive Player of the Year awards and a spot on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team. He also won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams during the 2021 season.
Donald recorded 543 tackles (340 solo), 260 quarterback hits, 176 tackles for loss, 111.0 sacks and 24 forced fumbles throughout his illustrious career. He’ll now likely have to wait until Week 2 against the Giants to make his return.
San Francisco 49ers Receive Huge News on Rams Star Aaron Donald Before Week 1