Aaron Donald is ramping up his workouts, leading to reports that the three-time Defensive Player of the Year will eventually unretire and play for the Los Angeles Rams in 2026.
Aaron Donald’s Return To The Rams Starting To Heat Up
As each day passes, the Los Angeles Rams are starting to get more confident that Donald will eventually unretire and return to the Rams at least for one season. According to reports from NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, he believes Donald’s return is on the right track. As of right now, Donald has been going through on-field football workouts to see how his body responds and whether he can make a full return.
Rams head coach Sean McVay has been asked daily about Donald’s return, and what once sounded like a dream has now become a reality as we get closer to the 2026 NFL regular season.
“He’s putting himself in position to make a decision,” McVay has recently told the Los Angeles media. “He is working hard, and he is feeling good. He knows what it’s like to put himself in a position to be able to go play this game at a high level. He has taken care of himself in the two years he has been off. Once we leave here and head back to Woodland Hills, we will have more of an update, but things are looking good. He doesn’t owe us anything, and we will continue to take things a day at a time.”
The Rams Appeal for Donald to Return
Los Angeles has set themselves up well this offseason to be the unquestioned top team entering the 2026 NFL season. During the offseason, they traded for All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie, added pieces in free agency, and eventually pulled off one of the biggest moves of the offseason by trading for reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. The Garrett trade ultimately got Donald thinking about a return with the idea of him playing alongside Garrett.
The Rams are the preseason Super Bowl favorites for 2026 and will likely remain that if Donald decides to return this season.
With the Rams returning the best offense in the NFL from 2025 behind NFL MVP Matthew Stafford and all of its weapons, Donald knows that the Rams have the necessary firepower to win a Super Bowl this season after falling a game short of reaching the Super Bowl, losing to the Seattle Seahawks in the 2025.
Rams Defensive Ceiling with Donald’s Return
The Rams have the ceiling of being the best defense in the NFL if Donald were to return and could at least be 80% of who he was when he retired after the 2023 season. The Rams have reshaped their secondary with McDuffie and his teammate Jaylen Watson coming over from Kansas City. Those two players have championship experience and know what it takes to win a Super Bowl, having won multiple in their time in KC.
Donald also has familiarity with the defensive standouts from the Rams’ 2023 NFL Draft Class. Players like Kobie Turner and Byron Young are guys Donald played with in their rookie seasons, so there is familiarity.
Despite Donald having been out of football for two seasons, the pairing of him and Garrett will be one of the most accomplished in NFL history.
