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Ian Rapoport of NFL Network characterized it Thursday as a "real possibility" that Donald comes out of retirement to play for the Rams this season. According to Rapoport, Donald has been working out at the Rams' facility in an effort to get into football shape, which it remains to be seen if the 35-year-old can get to that point where he'll feel comfortable pausing his retirement and stepping back onto the field in a game situation. There is no timetable for Donald to make a decision, and neither the Rams nor Donald are setting any hard and fast deadlines. Rapoport adds that this could go deep into training camp and even into the regular season.
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Donald worked out at the Rams' practice field Friday, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports. According to Michael J. Babcock of TMZ Sports, Donald "went through several drills" and appeared "gassed" after a workout that lasted about an hour. While the currently retired defensive lineman could have just been getting in some conditioning work at his former club's facility, the workout takes on added intrigue after Donald said in early June that he's "thinking" of coming out of retirement. To this point, Donald hasn't confirmed either way if he's planning to play next year, so visions of him lining up alongside new Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett remain speculative for now.
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Donald said Tuesday during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that the Rams' acquisition of Myles Garrett on Monday "for sure got [him] thinking" of coming out of retirement. Donald walked away from the sport at the top of his game following the 2023 season after going to 10 straight Pro Bowls to begin his career. A first-team All-Pro eight times and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Donald said that he's "gotta see if that fire can light back up" at 35 years old before making any decisions on returning to the Rams. The Super Bowl will once again be held in Los Angeles this upcoming season, and the Rams are in win-now mode with reigning MVP Matthew Stafford at the controls.
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Donald announced his retirement from football Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Donald had one season remaining on his contract and was due a $5 million roster bonus this weekend. He was still one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league in 2023, but retirement makes sense given that there's not a ton left to accomplish. Donald won three DPOY awards (2017, 2018, 2020) and a Super Bowl ring (2021), and he had at least eight sacks every season besides 2022 when he missed six games with an ankle injury. He retires two months before his 33rd birthday, sitting on 111 career sacks and locked in for a Hall of Fame spot. It's a massive loss for the Rams, though the blow is somewhat lessened by Kobie Turner's nine-sack rookie campaign in 2023.
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Donald recorded 53 tackles (28 solo), 8.0 sacks and three passes defended during the 2023 regular season over 16 games played. After suffering a high-ankle sprain that required surgery to end his 2022 campaign after just 11 games, seeing the future Hall of Famer play in all but one game (which was a mostly meaningless Week 18 game with a wild-card spot already locked up) was an encouraging sign, and he produced at a reasonable level at the age of 32. Donald finished second on the team in sacks, but for the second straight year he failed to hit double digits on his sack total, while failing to record a forced fumble for the first time since 2015. Donald will likely return for his eleventh season as a key anchor on an otherwise young Rams defense.
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