Aaron Donald ends retirement, rejoins Rams on one-year deal
Aaron Donald is returning to the Los Angeles Rams after two years in retirement, agreeing to a one-year contract worth up to $30 million. The move pairs him with Myles Garrett, giving the Rams a potentially historic defensive line.
Aaron Donald is back in the NFL. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year announced his return to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, ending a two-year retirement and rejoining a defense that has been dramatically reshaped during his absence.
Donald, 35, announced the decision with a video on Instagram, writing «We back» on the announcement page. In his official letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, he borrowed a line from Michael Jordan's 1995 NBA comeback: «I'm back. Sincerely, Aaron Donald.» His wife, Erica Donald, marked the occasion on X with a post that read, «I let him out the house y'all.»
The defensive lineman has agreed to a one-year deal worth $20 million that can escalate to $30 million for 2026, according to a source. Donald spent 10 seasons with the Rams before retiring in 2024, and he has been preparing for this return with the same intensity that defined his playing career.
He has been working out twice daily with personal trainers for nearly six weeks, has changed his diet, and has gone through two official tryouts with the Rams as part of his comeback. His stated goals are straightforward: regain the form that made him a nine-time All-Pro and win a Super Bowl.
The Rams are clearly going for it. They added two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in June, giving the team five Defensive Player of the Year awards between Garrett and Donald on the same defensive line. If both play to their past standards, Los Angeles could field one of the most formidable defensive fronts in NFL history.
The team also added cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson this offseason, both starters from the Kansas City Chiefs. McDuffie is a Pro Bowl-caliber player, and the pair is expected to start in the Rams secondary in 2026. That addition was, by some measure, the third most significant move the team made on defense this offseason.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford returns as the defending NFL MVP, and the Rams are coming off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game last season. The roster now features Donald, Garrett, McDuffie, Stafford, and a clear mandate to win it all.
Donald built his reputation as one of the best defensive players of his generation during his first stint with the Rams. He was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, a nine-time All-Pro, and a central figure in the team's Super Bowl LVI victory. His return, combined with the Garrett trade, signals that Los Angeles is all in on a championship run this season.
