11:58pm: Donald is adding more fuel to the fire. In a conversation with Jordan Schultz, the defensive lineman acknowledged that he’s considering a comeback.
“I’m for sure flirting with the idea. Helluva an opportunity with the Super Bowl in SoFi this year. If I can find the fire, it’s a possibility.”
2:35pm: The Rams added an all-time great defender when they acquired pass rusher extraordinaire Myles Garrett from the Browns on Monday. Garrett may not be the last future Hall of Famer to join the Rams’ defense before the upcoming season. On the heels of the Garrett trade, it appears retired Ram Aaron Donald is mulling a comeback.
When ESPN’s Pat McAfee contacted Donald via text about a potential return in the wake of the Garrett blockbuster, the 35-year-old admitted, “It for sure got me thinking.” Donald added that he’s “gotta see if that fire can light back up” after two full years out of the NFL.
With the Rams still based in St. Louis at the time, they spent the 13th overall pick in the 2014 draft on Donald. It quickly became one of the wisest decisions in franchise history, as Donald turned into one of the most dominant defensive tackles ever. He earned Pro Bowl honors in all 10 of his seasons, picked up eight first-team All-Pro selections (tied with Reggie White and Bruce Smith for most among D-linemen) and won the Defensive Player of the Year three times. Donald was also a major contributor on the Rams’ most recent Super Bowl-winning team in 2021.
The Rams were already atop the list of Super Bowl favorites for the upcoming campaign before they took a home run swing on Garrett. Although the trade cost them standout edge defender Jared Verse and three picks, including a 2027 first-rounder, they landed a player who set the single-season sack record (23) and won DPOY for the second time in 2025. Their odds of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next February would only seem to improve with Donald, a well-known workout warrior who has stayed in shape in his post-playing days. With 111 sacks on his resume, he would join the likes of Garrett, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford to form a terrifying group up front.
When Donald walked away from the game in March 2024, there was one season left on the three-year, $95MM extension he signed in 2022. His retirement forced the Rams to spread $33MM in dead money over the previous two seasons ($24MM in 2024 and $9MM in ’25). Donald is off the team’s books now, but that will change if he makes the bombshell decision to return. The Rams have approximately $16.34MM in spending room, according to OverTheCap.
I mean everyone saw this coming lol
I wonder if Sam Bradford wants to play backup QB, Steven Jackson wants to be rb depth,
Gronk and Brady are putting in leave of absences as we speak…well, Gronk at least. They’ll probably let Brady do all three.
Todd Gurley and Mar Bulger
I wonder if Geno Smith would retire.
Well then, that’s just unfair.
I suppose the Rams are ruining baseball too.
How’d you know.
Are the rams operating at a 500-600 million dollar payroll, using deferrals to lower their tax bill to 300 milllion avoiding penalties circumventing the competitive balance tax system, and telling everyone your team is just poor while having 10+ most deferrals ever offered in the history of mlb on one team while having larger deferral amounts than 10 or so teams payroll this year?
Will Donald renegotiate a pay cut or the Rams cut Poona Ford? More likely Donald adds some void years. The difference is there is still a limit.
Ford is pretty good and young though, isn’t he?
Ignore this. Got him confused with someone else. He is pretty good but Donald is easily better, and Ford is 30.
Rams haven’t won squat yet. It’s almost comical you’re trying to equate the Rams to the Dodgers. Stupid really.
The rams indeed are the big favorites and those odds would only grow if AD came back. But they are an old team that is uniquely susceptible to injury. Thats what I se stopping them if they flame out.
Not the team within their own division that won the super bowl?
Honestly, no. I think most people saw the Rams as the best team in the NFC last year despite their record. Their injuries played a big part in that record, and they win against Seattle if their corners can cover.
They’ve now fixed those holes.
Rams were off-season champions last year, too; we all saw how that worked out for them. Everyone downplaying Seattle winning as only happening bc the Rams had injuries is copium at its finest. Sure they had injuries, but so did every other nfl team. And if the corners can’t cover that’s a coaching, and roster management, issue. Maybe Rams need better coaching on defense, use part of McVay’s hair gel budget to fund a better DB coach. But all season people were saying how great Rams defense was until they lost to Seattle, “would have won if the corners could cover,” but one could just as easily say Seattle dog walks the Rams if their corners could cover for the first 3 quarters of that game.
Not even a Seahawks fan but, damn, at some point you gotta give that squad their flowers. That defense kicked the shit out of the NFC for 95% of the season, and when it mattered most in the playoffs. The Rams simply did not.
I never said injuries are why their corners couldn’t cover. Don’t put words in my mouth.
Key players on their team were injured for multiple games at a time but the corners not being able to cover is because they were relying on reclamation projects at the position. That was exposed in the playoff game against Seattle, so they got two of the better young corners in the game.
The Rams overall have a more talented team, especially with Seattle losing key players on both sides. They also have a better QB and better offensive talent outside of one player.
They’ve fixed their injury issues? How, by giving their 38 year old QB more money?
Injury is, indeed, their achillies heel.
Yep, injury and the Seattle Seahawks.
We will see. I thought the rams were better last year but in a one off playoff game weird stuff happens n
Seahawks were 2-1 against the Rams last year. Beat them in a 3 game series, not just a one game fluke.
Joe Namath says the knees are feeling fine since he got them replaced and the Jets need a QB. He’s only been out of the game 49 years and that football is just riding a bike.
Joe Willie would be at least QB2 on the 2026 Jets.
Aaron Donald must really need the money, just like Serena Williams.
My first thought when they got Garrett was this might prompt exactly this.
The Rams are making their envy of the Dodgers pretty obvious. Perhaps they can convince Ohtani to be a two sport player after October 🙂
Lol I’d love to see Ohtani as a TE or something.
This would be fun to see… I say as someone who isn’t an NFC West quarterback.
Yea rumors are Darnold, Purdy, and whoever the heck is gonna play qb in Arizona already have their formal trade requests drawn up.
Don’t do it- -you will get embarrassed
God Himself can’t stop this team. Literally the REAL perfect dream team with no possibility of failure. Literally a perfect season and it won’t be close.
This is quite possibly the worst take on this site I have ever seen.
Wow….totally agree…these Rams fans are sniffing too much glue..
Sounds like you’re trying to jinx them, FTA 🤣
He really could do it … be game ready by late September in case someone goes down, which is part of todays game. What salary would he agree to?
That’s the big thing-I am pretty iffy on the thought of Donald coming back for a full season right now, during the summer of 2026. After the Rams win enough games to make the playoffs in November, though? Donald will take a few games to warm up, and then ride the playoffs to another ring.
Or, at least, that would be the plan. Dream teams don’t always have expected results…
They might actually be able to lure more of the better available free agents that play year to year & go ring chasing. The Broncos were able to sign better free agents when Peyton Manning went there. Garrett joining a playoff team will have that effect.
Ah, there is such thing as the salary cap in football and whether the Rams have any cap left…that will definitely influence those free agents as much or more about chasing a ring as you say….
I don’t think he will, he is in great shape but he knows he has to actually want to be out there. If he is just half out there he is risking injury for self and others.
This would be perfect for the Rams. Come to a handshake agreement and he can start preparing his mind and body for football again. He can technically sign the contract mid-season–so he has time to get in football shape and still be fresh for the playoffs.
They can keep his base salary and cap hit super low if he and the Rams agree on a highly improper under the table post-retirement no show “personal services” contract worth $20 million or so. L.A. teams know how this is done. 🙂
Get ready to the hoist the Lombardi trophy again!
Didn’t the clippers try this with harden? How did that work out🤣🤣
Hopefully Stafford won’t go down for the season in Australia forcing Simpson into his 16th overall start (College/NFL) in week 2.
Sheesh that’s oddly specific! You trying to Tonya Harding him or something?
Matt! Look out for guys with metal poles!
Having him return will perhaps make, on paper at least, the toughest Defense in NFL history.
That’s a tremendous dig against some of the best of the past….maybe you should do some research first.
Not with that secondary.
You’re forgetting they upgraded the secondary massively.
“If I can find the fire” …..give us all a break….he and his team sees money on the table right in his backyard in the biggest game of the year if the Rams can make it…..wish these guys who retire and then make a big deal about how/why they are going back into the game would just be honest with us…..find the fire…..wow….
Not a dig. I qualified my comment by saying “perhaps” & “on paper” so my point was abstract & a long way from being an absolute. In fact, it really only indicates that Donald’s return would be a positive to an already strong Defense.
Let’s be real. He would still probably dominate as long as he’s stayed in shape.
MULLING?
A return to the culinary arts??
This refers to the culinary process of heating a liquid (usually wine, cider, or ale) with sugar and spices. Meaning: Infusing a drink with warm spices.Ingredients: Commonly includes cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and citrus peels. Example: Simmering a pot of apple cider with mulling spices.
Mulling – Deep Consideration (Mental): To ponder, ruminate, or reflect carefully on a topic. Example: “She is mulling over the job offer before signing the contract.”