Aaron Donald announced his return to the Los Angeles Rams after initially retiring in March 2024 following 10 NFL seasons. Donald comes out of a two-season retirement to rejoin a team that traded for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in June. The deal is a one-year contract worth $20 million, with incentives that could raise the value to $30 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport.
Donald joins a Rams defensive group that already includes Garrett, cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, outside linebacker Byron Young and defensive tackle Kobie Turner. The Rams are the only team entering the season with multiple players who have won multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, according to ESPN Research.
On the field together, Donald and Garrett create matchup problems for opposing offenses. According to ESPN Analytics/NFL Next Gen Stats, the pair rank 1-2 in pass rush wins since 2017. Donald has been double-teamed on the fourth-most pass rush plays in that span despite missing the last two seasons, and his 276 pass rush wins against double teams are the most in the league since 2017. Garrett has been double-teamed the second-most among edge rushers since 2017 and has created 244 incompletions from pass rush wins, the most in the NFL in that period; Donald ranks third in that category.
Rams head coach Sean McVay had indicated that if Donald un-retired he would want him to be “all-in,” but Donald is unlikely to resume a full snap load immediately. Reporter Sarah Barshop wrote that Donald would likely be used in spots where he can be most impactful, perhaps around 20-25 snaps per game on primarily pass-rushing downs. Garrett said the biggest challenge is “getting back to that tempo,” and Turner noted the need to re-sharpen the physical and technical tools required in the trenches.
On the roster and cap side, the Rams had $15.45 million in available salary-cap space prior to cutting their roster to 53 players, which must be completed by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday. The team could maneuver cap space to make Donald fit under the cap and still have money to get through the season.
