One of the worst bits of news the San Francisco 49ers (and the rest of the NFC West, for that matter) received this offseason was the Los Angeles Rams executing a blockbuster trade for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, edge rusher Myles Garrett, making an already good L.A. defense that much better.
And things may potentially get worse.
Not long after the Garrett deal broke, rumors surfaced about perennial All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald coming out of retirement to form arguably one of the more lethal defensive fronts in recent NFL history.
The 10-time Pro Bowler retired after 2023 and recently turned 35 years old, but there are awfully few questions about his health and conditioning, and it certainly wouldn't take long for him to get back into football shape.
While there's been nothing official, the rumor mill keeps edging closer toward the reality of Donald coming out of retirement to join forces with Garrett, and ESPN's Adam Schefter just did his best to fuel those rumors.
And the Niners would have to be terrified.
Adam Schefter says Aaron Donald unretirement rumor has 'a lot of momentum'
Speaking on Monday's episode of ESPN's NFL Live, Schefter elaborated on the rumors surrounding Donald and his potential return.
And it sure seems as if it's closer to happening as opposed to not.
"The idea here is Donald himself has floated that he could potentially return to Los Angeles," Schefter said. "He's thinking about it. Training camp is getting closer next month. They'd have to come up with a plan for him to bring him back.
"But where else right now would Aaron Donald be more wanted, more celebrated, more respected than in the Rams locker room, where Myles Garrett is already waiting for him?. Again, no decision from Aaron Donald and we'll see whether the two sides can get it done, but there seems to be a lot of momentum to the idea that this is certainly possible."
Donald routinely terrorized San Francisco twice a year when the two NFC West rivals squared off against each other. And with the budding in-division arms race not getting any cooler, reuniting with Donald would only put L.A. that much further ahead in the pecking order.
The 49ers can surely hope Donald declines the opportunity and opts to stay retired, as dealing with Garrett twice a year now is certainly more than enough a challenge.
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