It’s not often that teams find themselves in a situation where they’re waiting and hoping a Hall of Fame-caliber player will come out of retirement for a shot at another Super Bowl ring. Yet, the Los Angeles Rams, partly thanks to trading for Myles Garrett, are doing just that, lingering around to see whether Aaron Donald will end his two-year hiatus from the league and suit up for the 2026 season.
Donald’s potential comeback tour has been one of the biggest storylines all offseason long, or at least since the Rams traded for the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year back in June. Now, a decision on Donald could be coming soon. Very soon.
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Aaron Donald Expected to Decide on Unretirement This Week
October 15, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY SportsCredit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Donald seems to be inching closer to announcing his comeback. He’s been at the Rams’ facility twice in the past month. The first time was to get a workout in with pads on. The second time, reportedly, was to see how things felt with a helmet again. He’s also developing a docuseries, which would be a great way to capture one crazy comeback story.
Nevertheless, there’s still no word on which way Donald is leaning, whether it’s staying retired or seeing if he can help the Rams win another Super Bowl. Yet, now there’s a better idea of when Donald is planning to make his decision.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Donald’s play or don’t play decision is expected to come by the end of the week.
“Aaron Donald continues to ponder whether he’ll return to football after two years of retirement. And his play-or-don’t-play decision is indeed coming soon. But apparently not quite as soon as recently expected. Donald’s target, we’re told, has shifted from early this week to the end of this week. (Given the ramifications of a decision to return, Donald could take a little more time before making the decision to take the pigskin plunge.)”
PFT’s Mike Florio on Aaron Donald
An eight-time First-Team All-Pro selection, it’s fair to say that NFL fans are very intrigued to see what Donald can still offer after two seasons away from the game. At 35 years old, that’s still a reasonable age to believe he can not only contribute, but potentially even play at a high level.
The Rams are certainly open to his return, and by all appearances, Donald is too. Now he just needs to make up his mind, and that could happen soon.
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Dedicated NFL copywriter/editor. My work has been found on Sportsnaut, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, MSN, Yahoo, and Minnesota Sports … More about Andrew Buller-Russ