Aaron Donald Ends Retirement to Rejoin the LA Rams

The Return

Aaron Donald has come out of retirement to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League, Sportsnet reported. The Rams announced the 35-year-old defensive lineman's decision on Sunday, ending a retirement that had lasted two and a half years.

According to Sportsnet, the move followed several weeks of discussion, preparation and intensive workouts. Donald retired somewhat abruptly in March 2024 after 10 seasons with the franchise in St. Louis and Los Angeles.

In that first stint he won three Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, made 10 Pro Bowls, earned eight All-Pro selections and won a Super Bowl ring.

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The Pull of Myles Garrett

Sportsnet reported that Donald began to consider a comeback after the Rams traded for Myles Garrett, a defensive end who won two of the past three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Cleveland Browns. Between them, Donald and Garrett have taken five of the last nine such awards.

The two will line up alongside Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske on the Rams' defensive front, per Sportsnet. Los Angeles also added cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sportsnet said the return resets Donald's eligibility clock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He would otherwise have been eligible for the 2029 class.

The Contract Question

Reporting published before the announcement described the money as the main obstacle. NBC Sports explained that Donald's retirement mothballed the remainder of his prior deal, one year at $30 million, and that the full amount hits the salary cap the day he returns to the roster.

The Rams have $16.7 million in cap space, so NBC Sports calculated they would need to create at least $13.3 million more by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on that day. It suggested a restructure using a large signing bonus and voidable years, and noted the team could in theory have to cut and re-sign him if a deal is not finished in time.

Bleacher Report, citing ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, reported on Sunday that the Rams were still optimistic and were waiting on Donald's decision before addressing the contract. Fowler said Donald had held several workouts that the team had to list as free-agent workouts.

What Is Not Yet Known

The sources do not say what Donald's new contract terms are, or whether a restructure has been completed. NBC Sports raised the possibility that the two sides had quietly agreed on a structure in advance, but said nothing had been confirmed.

It is also not stated whether Donald will play in the Rams' opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. Bleacher Report noted that the team was leaving just a few days before that game and that Fowler described Donald as someone who could serve as an in-season addition rather than playing all 17 games.