The Los Angeles Rams are clearly eager to maximize their win-now window with 38-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford only being a few years away from retirement.
On June 1, the 2022 Super Bowl champions traded for Cleveland Browns star defender Myles Garrett to drastically elevate their pass rush.
Shockingly, Aaron Donald, who terrorized opposing quarterbacks for years during his nine-year career with the Rams, has been linked to a 2026-27 reunion with Los Angeles following the Garrett trade.
While a potential unretirement move was more an alluring fantasy than a legitimate opportunity at first, NFL insider Jason La Canfora recently provided the public with a new game-changing update on the chances of Donald signing with the Rams in the foreseeable future.
“With training camp now less than a month away, the NFL is widely anticipating the return of future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald to the Los Angeles Rams,” Canfora wrote last Tuesday.
“What began as speculation and then became very well-informed buzz is now being viewed as close to a done deal, with Donald wanting to play with Myles Garrett, whom the Rams acquired this offseason, and telling even more people within the Rams organization of how hard he is leaning into ending his retirement.”
“There remains no firm timetable for him to formalize his decision, let alone report to the Rams, and they will keep that option open for him as long as he wants. But there is also a growing sense among some in the Rams organization and around the league that Donald will be back with them for a majority of the 2026 season.”
Essentially, it sounds as though the odds of Donald playing football with the Rams in 2026-27 are higher than ever. The former first-round pick was phenomenal with the Rams in the mid to late 2010s and early 2020s.
Donald’s astonishing strength and quick twitch off the lane made him near impossible to contain regularly. The 35-year-old recorded 542 tackles, 111 sacks, and 24 forced fumbles in 154 contests.
If the future Hall of Famer manages to work his body back to NFL shape upon a potential return, he’ll wreak havoc again on the defensive front and potentially guide the Rams back to the promised land.
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