Aaron Donald Returns to the Rams

Aaron Donald officially came out of retirement and rejoined the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, ending months of speculation about his future. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year had not played since the 2023 season and turned 35 in May.

The Rams welcomed their legendary defensive tackle back with a social media callback: when Donald retired in 2024, the team posted a graphic declaring "Quarterbacks Rejoice." Upon his return, they updated it to "Quarterbacks Scramble."

Donald, who won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, earned eight first-team All-Pro selections and finished his Rams career with 111 sacks, said he was excited about the opportunity to return. "You bring [in] a guy like Myles Garrett, a generational talent, and it's like, 'That could be fun,'" Donald said with a smile.

Reports say Rams head coach Sean McVay originally reached out to Donald for his thoughts while the team was considering the trade for Garrett. Donald's interest in returning reportedly increased after the Rams acquired the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

"I think this is a complete team with me here or without me here, so for me to even have the opportunity to be a part of this, be with this team, I take nothing for granted," Donald said. "It's a blessing to be retired from the game for two years and have the opportunity to come back and be a part of something special."

A New Defensive Partnership

The Rams acquired Myles Garrett in a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason. Garrett set the NFL single-season sack record last season with 23 sacks in 17 games, breaking Michael Strahan's record of 22.5 sacks set in 2001.

Garrett, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, arrived in Los Angeles, and his presence is expected to complement Donald's interior pass rush. The pairing of two multi-time Defensive Player of the Year winners on the same defensive line has already sparked talk of one of the greatest defensive duos in NFL history.

The Rams are coming off a 12-5 season in which they lost the NFC Championship Game to the Seahawks, 31-27. They also traded for cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Super Bowl Favorites

Bookmakers have taken notice of the Rams' offseason moves. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Rams are +550 favorites to win the Super Bowl, with the Buffalo Bills next at +1,000 and the Seahawks at +1,100.

Super Bowl LXI is scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium, where Donald helped deliver a championship in Super Bowl LVI.

Donald is reportedly set to earn at least $20 million next season.