The Los Angeles Rams made one of the biggest defensive moves of the 2026 offseason by acquiring Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns. Garrett, who set the NFL single-season sack record with 23 in 2025, instantly made the Rams a top Super Bowl contender in the NFC. The Garrett acquisition also triggered a conversation the franchise had not expected to revisit so soon.
Aaron Donald retired in March 2024 after 10 seasons with the Rams. He finished his career with 111 sacks, three Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight All-Pro selections, and a Super Bowl ring. He was 32 years old at the time of retirement. The Pro Football Hall of Fame noted his first year of eligibility would be 2029. At 35 now, nothing in the weeks following his retirement suggested a return was on the table.
Former Pittsburgh Panther and retired NFL defensive tackle Aaron Donald speaks at a press conference prior to the start of the Pittsburgh Panthers vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on November 15, 2025. © Michael Longo / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The speculation intensified immediately after the Garrett trade. Social media buzzed with the possibility of pairing Donald and Garrett on the same defensive line. Donald himself did not shut down the idea. He addressed it directly in separate interviews with Pat McAfee and NFL insider Jordan Schultz within days of the trade.
Donald confirmed he is seriously considering a return. “I’m for sure flirting with the idea,” he told Jordan Schultz. “Helluva an opportunity with the Super Bowl in SoFi this year. If I can find the fire, it’s a possibility.” ESPN’sAdam Schefter said a return is now “more likely than not,” noting that teams were already discussing the possibility in coaching and scouting circles during late March.
The Rams organization has openly welcomed the possibility. Head coach Sean McVay said, “If Aaron decides he wants to dust ‘em off at the age of 35, I bet y’all would be interested in that story.” GM Les Snead called it “a unique story to the Rams, for sure.” Defensive coordinator Chris Shula added he would welcome Donald back “with open arms.”
The Rams have approximately $19 million in 2026 cap space, according to Over the Cap. One season remaining on Donald’s previous contract structure gives the front office a financial framework to work from. The pairing with Garrett would give Los Angeles a defensive interior that no other team in the league could match. Donald at tackle, Garrett at edge, with Byron Young and Kobie Turner filling the gaps alongside them.
Aaron Donald’s Potential Return Would Create a Historic Defensive Line
A defensive front featuring both Donald and Garrett would be unprecedented in the modern NFL, the closest historical comparison being Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks with the Giants in the 1980s. Garrett set the single-season sack record in 2025 with 23, breaking the previous mark.
Donald’s career average of 11.1 sacks per season over 10 years at interior tackle is an achievement no player at his position has come close to matching in the modern era.
Donald’s retirement announcement in March 2024 came after the Rams restructured his contract to free cap space. His final season produced eight sacks in 16 games, numbers that suggest no physical decline drove his decision. The motivation was personal, not performance-based. That distinction is the key reason Schefter and others see a realistic path back to the field if Donald finds sufficient motivation in what the Rams have assembled around Garrett.
The Rams open training camp in late July. According to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, the team is prepared to keep the door open for a mid-season return if Donald does not commit before camp. That flexibility gives Donald time. The opportunity Donald described may not last long. With the Super Bowl being hosted at SoFi Stadium and Myles Garrett now on the roster, all the pieces are in place for a potential return.
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