As of early Friday afternoon, outsiders still did not know if defensive superstar and future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald would end his retirement to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams for the 2026 season.
During a recent conversation with NFL insider Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, Rams general manager Les Snead suggested that he won’t rush Donald into confirming any plans for the upcoming campaign.
Rams not surprised Aaron Donald is taking longer than some expected to decide on comeback
“When he commits to something, he’s going to go through all the stress and drudgery necessary to be great,” Snead said about Donald. “He wants to be able to figure out, OK, can he put his body and maybe probably even psych[e] through what he knows he’s going to ask his body and psych[e] to go through? So it’s not surprising he’s taking this amount of time.”
While many have assumed Donald will immediately be what he was when he earned Defensive Player of the Year Award honors on three occasions during his career if he returns to the Rams, multiple Hall of Famers have warned the 35-year-old that trying to play at the highest level after taking two seasons off would be no “easy” task (Donald retired in March 2024).
The Rams reportedly would have Donald “play 30-40 snaps or so a game,” beginning with their regular-season opener versus the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 10 (U.S. time), if he’s on the roster next month. Of course, it’s assumed one reason Donald is thinking about returning to the Rams is that he believes he could earn a second career Super Bowl ring while playing alongside star pass-rusher Myles Garrett.
How often does Myles Garrett speak with Aaron Donald amid uncertainty?
Garrett told Epstein that he and Donald “talk every three or four days” to “check on” each other.
“The fact that my addition to the Rams made [Donald] want to get off the couch makes me think that he was always looking for a reason to get up — he just needed that spark,” Garrett explained. “And he just believed [the Rams] were probably like one piece away from having exactly what we need. So I don’t think the fire ever died. You just have to make sure he can keep it stoked for 20 games or however many he ends up playing.”
Throughout the summer, DraftKings Sportsbook has consistently had the Rams as the betting favorites at +550 odds to win Super Bowl LXI this coming February. While speaking with Epstein, Garrett sent a strong warning to the rest of the NFL regarding what would happen if he and Donald soon become teammates.
“I think it would be something that we’ve possibly never seen before and it’s exciting to think about,” a confident Garrett said. “But I just don’t want it to take away from anything that the guys here are doing. There are young guys in that position room who are looking for an opportunity to make a name for themself. And I don’t want any of their hard work to take a backseat. And I know if we can find a way to get the most out of all of us, him and them, so we can make the most out of this that we have, I think that’s the end goal. I think we could win it all if we can figure it all out.”
Perhaps Donald will make what’s become a highly-anticipated announcement during the Rams’ preseason opener at the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday afternoon.
