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Commentary: Everything about Aaron Donald's past and Rams' present point to him coming back It's clear Aaron Donald yearns to be back on an NFL field.
The Rams being Super Bowl title favorites makes the decision all the more obvious for Donald.
Aaron Donald visits on the field before a game between the Rams and Miami Dolphins at SoFi Stadium in November 2024.
Donald is considering whether to come out of retirement to play for the Rams this season.
Its clear Aaron Donald yearns to return to NFL competition.
The Rams being Super Bowl title favorites makes the decision all the more obvious for Donald.
The chance to play alongside Myles Garrett in a retooled Rams defense likely will be too tempting for Donald to ignore.
Donald said he was full, complete, when he retired, yet his relentless training continue to fuel expectations that he will return to the Rams.The defensive lineman could be back terrorizing the NFL this season.
You could see it from space, how wide open the door is for Donald, 35, to return for an 11th NFL season 13 years after he broke in as the defensive rookie of the year.
Rams COO Tony Pastoors says the team isnt rushing Aaron Donald to make a comeback decision, saying theyd rather have him during the season than July.Meanwhile, off-stage, Donald is going through his process, McVay said, putting himself in a position to make a decision about whether to rejoin this star-studded Rams team thats already favored to win the Super Bowl on Feb.
14 at their own SoFi Stadium.eight-time All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler and 2021 Super Bowl champion to a defense that also features two-time defensive player of the year Myles Garrett?It would be awesome, said fourth-year offensive lineman Steve Avila, who as a rookie was teammates with Donald.
Honestly, my first year here, I probably blocked him one time correctly.
So I think itll be awesome to have him back and just see where I stack up.
It would because theres always something more to prove, even for somebody like Donald.Arguably the best to ever do it defensively, Donald could strengthen that argument still.
There are rewards to outweigh the risks.
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald gestures to fans before a game against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium in October 2023.
Only three players Donald, Taylor and J.J.Watt have won the NFLs defensive player of the year award three times.
Donald could be the first to win a fourth.
I kind of asked him what his thoughts and opinion , said McVay, noting that he also seeks perspective from former RamsAfter blockbuster trades for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, Sean McVay and the Rams head into a critical training camp as Super Bowl favorites.A possibility made all the more plausible when Donald was spotted going through an on-field workout on July 10 at the Rams practice facility.
Now Donalds decision is not just the only point of intrigue for the Rams entering camp, where there are no obvious position battles and the only holding out thats happening is them hoping for his return.The Rams will-he or wont-he question is the biggest in the NFL and in American sports, now that former LakerWhen he announced his retirement, he told the world what hed told McVay: He was burned out.
And after a decade of dominance, he was full, satisfied.When you talk about a guy that did this for 10 years and gave every ounce of his soul to this game, McVay said, ..
when he sat down with me and he said, Im full, Im complete, he meant it, and I believed him.
But if you revisit interviews Donald did after retiring, youll notice how often and how quickly hed get choked up.The tough-guy tears betrayed how much it hurt Donald to let go, how much he was going to miss playing the violent, taxing game that has been the focal point of his life.
The Rams pay tribute to their 1951 NFL championship and its Fearsome Foursome of the 1960s and 70s with two new uniforms for the 2026 season.He kept training so hard that after one session with Donald, Verse then a second-year defensive end joked he couldnt work out for another day and a half because he couldnt move his body: He needs to stay away from me! Now all the non-denials being issued by Donalds past and possibly future team feel like affirmations.
Mirjam Swanson is a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times.Previously, she worked for the Southern California News Group, as a sports columnist and an NBA and WNBA beat writer.
A Southern California native, she earned the distinction of a top 10 APSE honor for columns in 2023.
At prior stops, she covered golf, action sports, city government, education and the occasional unexpected bear visit.