Three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald has officially ended his retirement to sign a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams, returning to the NFL after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus to form a formidable defensive line alongside reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
The blockbuster reunion was announced Sunday by both the team and Donald himself via an Instagram post featuring the caption “We back,” setting up an all-in push for the Rams ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
How the Blockbuster Defensive Pairing Came Together
Donald, 35, stepped away from football following the 2023 season after establishing a career that included 111 career sacks and three Defensive Player of the Year awards in 10 seasons. However, the landscape in Los Angeles shifted dramatically this offseason when the Rams pulled off a major trade with the Cleveland Browns on June 1 to acquire Myles Garrett in exchange for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick (which becomes a first-rounder if Garrett is subsequently traded to an AFC North team, as reported by The Athletic).
That acquisition caught Donald’s attention. Rams head coach Sean McVay spoke with Donald about the addition of Garrett, appealing to the veteran defensive tackle’s long-standing desire to play alongside another elite superstar who could alleviate the steady stream of double-teams he faced throughout his career. Donald told reporters that the trade “for sure got me thinking,” leading to regular workouts at the Rams’ Woodland Hills facility and two official tryouts reported to the league during training camp.
“It didn’t feel like he missed a beat at all,” Rams defensive lineman Desjuan Johnson said of working out with Donald, via The Athletic. “It feels like he even got a little bit faster, a little bit hungrier in a way.”
Roster Reinforcements and Defensive Scheme
Donald’s return completes an aggressive defensive makeover engineered by the Rams front office. Alongside Garrett—who set a single-season sack record with 23 sacks in 2025—and Donald, the front seven features Byron Young, who is coming off a 12-sack Pro Bowl campaign, and Kobie Turner, who tallied seven sacks last season.
The team also traded with the Kansas City Chiefs for two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and signed Jaylen Watson this offseason, fortifying a defense that will operate under coordinator Chris Shula. Safety and team captain Quentin Lake noted earlier this year the unique tactical advantages of having multiple multi-time Defensive Players of the Year on the same roster.
“Are there so many things we could do in terms of pressures and blitzes and all of that stuff? Of course,” Lake said, per The Athletic. “That’s unheard of, to have two guys who won Defensive Player of the Year on the same team. It would be one fun year, I’ll say that.”
Expectations and Week 1 Outlook
The Rams are chasing another Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium—the site of Super Bowl LXI—following a 12-5 finish last season that ended with a narrow 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. While Donald participated in individual drills on Sunday wearing his familiar No. 99 jersey, McVay has not yet committed him to play in Week 1.
Los Angeles opens its 2026 regular season against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, marking the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia.
Worth a look
