It was just one game, of course, and Donald valued his preparation for returning to NFL game action — an environment he hasn’t seen since he retired after the 2023 season — more than rushing himself back to the field.
After Los Angeles completed a blockbuster trade for Garrett on June 1, Donald spent the summer flirting with coming out of retirement to rejoin the Rams. He didn’t officially do so until Aug. 30, though, leaving him a limited window to prepare himself physically for the marathon that is an NFL season.
Traveling to Australia was likely never going to fit into those plans. The extra week of practice, however, appears to have positioned Donald to make his return in the same stadium he last called home.
“I don’t know, I ain’t really think about that,” Donald said when asked what it will feel like to run out on the field at SoFi Stadium again. “Because to me, I know I ain’t play in two years, but being back around, I feel like I was just here last year. Time flies by so fast and I kind of forget that I didn’t play football in two years. I kind of just feel like I’m just back to my normal self and like I was playing last year, even though I wasn’t. I’m just going to take it all in, enjoy it, try to give the fans something to cheer for, enjoy the game and try to come away with a win.”