AUGUST 16: It appears nothing is imminent on the Donald front. Following the Rams’ preseason contest on Saturday, McVay said he hopes Donald makes a decision “sooner than later,” but he added he would not put an “invisible deadline” on the matter.
“He’s put himself in a position to be able to say yes or no,” McVay said (via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times). “I think he’s earned that right to have clarity on that. We’re not at that point quite yet. … We have some loose things where we’ve identified you know dates that we’d like to be able to hit. But what I don’t want to have is any sort of unnecessary pressure on him if there’s some unforeseen circumstances.”
AUGUST 11: Aaron Donald floated the idea of rejoining the Rams more than two months ago, after the team acquired Myles Garrett in a June 1 blockbuster. Momentum still clearly exists for the all-time great to come back.
The Rams have already put Donald through two workouts — one in mid-July, one last week — and while he did not confirm a comeback was taking place when asked by fans at a UCLA workout last week, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes a decision is looking likely by week’s end. Nearly a month remains until the Rams’ season opener — against the 49ers in Australia — and a workload goal for that game could already be in place.
A ramp-up period that would allow for Donald to play 30-40 snaps against the 49ers is the Rams’ goal ahead of the season, Florio adds. The Rams went through a version of this situation when Donald staged a holdout in 2017. Granted, those are far more common than what is transpiring now, but Donald missed the first game of Los Angeles’ season in Sean McVay‘s debut.
Reporting to the Rams on September 9 that year, Donald played 67.6% of the snaps in Week 2. Donald held out again in 2018 and did not return to work until finalizing a six-year extension August 31. He did play in Week 1 to open the Rams’ Super Bowl LIII season, however.
This all occurred during Donald’s 20s. He is now 35 and has been retired since March 2024. Considering the buzz Donald’s long-rumored return has created, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer opting against it would be quite disappointing for Rams fans who have seen their team make momentous moves to strengthen its defense.
The Rams used first-round picks to acquire Garrett and Trent McDuffie while handing ex-McDuffie Chiefs sidekick Jaylen Watson a $17MM-per-year deal. Donald would be highly unlikely to match the 80.8% snap share he held during his previous season (2023), but a regular role in a defensive front also housing early-round picks Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Byron Young would certainly be transformative for the Rams.
McVay said a Donald return was heading “in the right direction,” and the parties had discussed this since before the Garrett trade. The matter of Donald’s contract — his 2022 revision carries one more season at $30MM — remains unresolved (the team has $15.26MM in cap space). The Rams are believed to be eyeing a reworked deal for the 10-year veteran, who once threatened retirement post-Super Bowl LVI before receiving a three-year, $95MM raise from the team.
We heard in June the Rams would keep the door open for a Donald return well into the season. Considering Donald’s abilities, it would stand to reason the team would be fine with a partial season — if it comes to that. But enough buzz has built toward this reunion that a decision should be expected before the 2026 campaign starts.
