Aaron Donald Unretires and Rejoins Rams on One-Year, $20m Deal

Aaron Donald has officially come out of retirement, rejoining the Los Angeles Rams on a one-year contract worth $20 million, with incentives that could increase the value to $30 million.

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year, who retired in March 2024 after 10 seasons, signed on Sunday and was on the practice field the same day. The Rams marked the announcement by posting an image of Donald's letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, which read simply that he was back.

Months of Speculation

The comeback had been building since June, when the Rams traded for Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Donald posted a workout video on social media shortly afterwards captioned with a single word suggesting he was ready, and later said the trade had started him thinking about a return.

He went through two official workouts with the club, listed as tryouts on the league's daily personnel notices. The first came on 5 August, with a second following 11 days later. Alongside those sessions he had been training twice a day with personal trainers for close to six weeks and had changed his diet.

Head coach Sean McVay was repeatedly asked about the situation through training camp. He confirmed in late July that Donald was working through a strict process before deciding whether he wanted to play, and by the end of that month said the indications were positive without committing further.

Donald said after signing that he had known for around two weeks that he was coming back, and that his wife's support had been a condition of the decision.

A Loaded Defensive Front

Donald, 35, was drafted by the Rams in the first round in 2014 and spent his entire career with the franchise. He recorded 111 sacks and 24 forced fumbles across 10 seasons, won Defensive Player of the Year three times, was named first-team All-Pro on eight occasions, and was part of the side that won Super Bowl LVI.

Pairing him with Garrett gives the Rams two players who have won five Defensive Player of the Year awards between them and recorded a combined 236.5 sacks. Comparisons have already been drawn with the franchise's Fearsome Foursome defensive line of the 1960s.

The signing caps an aggressive offseason. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was named MVP and signed an extension, while the Rams acquired cornerback Trent McDuffie from Kansas City, signed him to an extension, and added his former Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson. Donald said the moves the club had made were what prompted him to consider playing again.

No Timeline Yet

McVay has not committed to when Donald will play. Speaking on Sunday, he said the club would take it a day at a time and had not decided on a ramp-up period or whether Donald would be available for the season opener.

The Rams released their initial 53-man roster on Sunday, a process that also involved one trade, three players placed on injured reserve, 28 waived, five vested veterans terminated and one waived with an injury designation. They signed 17 players to their initial practice squad on Monday.

Donald has also signed with a management team to expand his business and media interests, a deal confirmed in early August while his playing future was still unresolved.