Will three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year defensive tackle Aaron Donald actually unretire and return to the Los Angeles Rams?
Once the Rams traded for Myles Garrett, they made it clear they are once again "all in." The acquisition of Garrett certainly piqued Donald's interest, with him saying at the time, "It for sure got me thinking." Despite last playing in the 2023 season, when he earned his eighth first-team All-Pro selection and 10th Pro Bowl selection at age 32, he is seriously considering a return to football. He has appeared on the NFL's transaction wire as "trying out" for the Rams since working out at their facility and using their equipment triggers such a listing per league rules.
So will he actually do it, and what could it look like?
Why Donald could unretire
Well, the Rams are already the overwhelming Super Bowl favorites. Donald's interest make sense given the following: quarterback Matthew Stafford won 2025 NFL MVP honors after leading the league in passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46), wide receiver Puka Nacua led the NFL in catches (129), receiving first downs (80) and receiving yards per game (107.2), wide receiver Davante Adams led the NFL in touchdown catches (14) and the newly-acquired Garrett set the NFL single-season sacks record (23.0).
Donald, 35, would return to a unit that wouldn't need him to be Superman. With Garrett and Byron Young on either end of the defensive line, Donald wouldn't face the same level of double teams that he did during his first run.
| Rams star power "all in" 2.0, 2026 season | Accolade |
|---|---|
QB Matthew Stafford | 2025 NFL MVP (1 of 15 QBs with MVP & SB win) |
WR Puka Nacua | Most receiving YPG (95.3) in NFL history |
WR Davante Adams | Seventh-most receiving TD in NFL history (117) |
Third-most scrimmage TD (44) in NFL in last three seasons | |
DE Myles Garrett | Most sacks per game (0.94) in NFL history (NFL-record 23 sacks in 2025) |
Two-time All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion | |
Sean McVay | Twice as many playoff wins (10) as any other HC before age 40 all time |
What Sean McVay thinks will happen
Bryant McFadden interviewed Rams coach Sean McVay on CBS Sports HQ, and he asked McVay to provide body language answers to questions about Donald's return. When asked if he expects to see Donald play for the Rams in 2026, McVay provided a wide-mouthed smile. When asked if he expects to see Donald play in the month of September, McVay flashed a grin that displayed nearly every tooth in his mouth.
When asked whether he expects Donald to perform at a level as dominant as he did in the past, McVay broke the rules of the game and provided a direct quote.
"This one deserves an answer," McVay said. "He'll only going to do it if he feels like he can do it the way that he is accustomed to. He's earned the right. He's taken great care of himself. So I'll say this [proceeds to nod with a closed mouth smile]."
McVay seems to expect Donald to suit up to start the 2026 season and look close to his all-time, future Pro Football Hall of Fame level. What does the incredibly small historical precedent say about this type of unretirement from a future Hall of Famer? Let's take a look.
The Deion Sanders precedent
Cornerback Deion Sanders is the only Hall of Famer since World War II to come out of retirement after multiple seasons out of the league, per CBS Sports Research. Sanders retired in 2001 and returned to play two more NFL seasons for the Baltimore Ravens in 2004 and 2005.
When Sanders unretired in 2004, a nagging hamstring limited him to nine games that season with just two starts. In 2005, Sanders played in all 16 games, starting just four, after getting his body back into the rhythm of being an NFL player.
| Deion Sanders vs. Aaron Donald comebacks | Deion Sanders* | Aaron Donald |
|---|---|---|
Pro Football Hall of Famer | Yes | ? |
Defensive Player of the Year awards | 1 | 3 |
Pro Bowls | 8 | 10 |
First-team All-Pros | 6 | 8 |
Super Bowls won | 2 | 1 |
Seasons retired | 3 | 2 |
Age at season of unretirement | 37 | 35** |
* Deion Sanders is the only Pro Football Hall of Famer since WWII to unretire after missing multiple seasons
** Donald hasn't officially unretired yet
Why Donald needs to unretire before training camp/preseason ends
Sanders is one of the most electrifying athletes in NFL history. He decided to wait until training camp and the preseason were over before unretiring, signing his Ravens contract on Aug. 31 in 2004. That decision doomed his first season back in action, as he dealt with the aforementioned hamstring throughout the year. The defensive line position is certainly one that requires less ground to be covered on a snap-to-snap basis, but Donald would be doing himself a disservice by skipping camp entirely before returning to NFL regular-season action.
Los Angeles truly is all in this season because the rookie contracts of both Nacua and Young expire at the conclusion of the 2026 campaign. Both earned lucrative second contracts, which means the Rams' loaded roster as currently constructed will look markedly different in 2027. Donald doesn't have a year to mess around with a nagging injury issue like Sanders did back in 2004. He needs to be ready to roll ASAP.
Therefore, Donald needs to rip off the band-aid and retire now to maximize the Rams' shot at delivering Super Bowl glory once again at SoFi Stadium, as he, Stafford, and McVay did to conclude the 2021 season. Otherwise, it would make more sense for him to continue staying home and watching games from the couch.
