On Monday, the Los Angeles Rams pulled off this offseason’s biggest blockbuster trade when they got EDGE rusher Myles Garrett away from the Cleveland Browns. Garrett had been vocal the past several seasons about wanting to play for a contender so that he might taste the Super Bowl.
Las Vegas has the Rams as the favorite to win the big game this year.
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RELATED: RAMS BLOCKBUSTER TRADE FOR GARRETT
And suddenly, Los Angeles has brought in the reigning “NFL Defensive Player of the Year,” an award that he has won twice now. Garrett is not only a beast at rushing the passer, but he is also a good run defender.
Now that the dust and confetti have settled on the Garrett trade, the next rumor that has sprouted legs is that former Rams DT Aaron Donald might come out of retirement.
Great googly, moogly.
The Rams have the league’s #1 offensive unit this past season. They can fling the ball and have a very good offensive line. What they lacked was the defense. In 2025, this group was ranked #17 overall, with the breakdown being #19 with pass defense and #12 against the run.
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The Browns ranked #3 in sacks generated (53) mainly because of Garrett’s record of 23 sacks in a single season. The Rams ranked #8 with 47 sacks.
Donald retired after the 2023 season after playing 10 years in the league. He made the Pro Bowl every single season and was named First Team All-Pro eight times. He was the league’s “Defensive Player of the Year” three seasons and “NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.” Donald was also voted to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
What was unusual about Donald was his ability to get to the quarterback despite being a defensive tackle. Most DTs are there for gap management and to help with run stoppage. But Donald was a very rare specimen and will certainly become a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. And that five-year clock began the moment he hung up his cleats.
According to a recent conversation, that clock may have to re-set.
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On “The Pat McAfee Show,” McAfee stated that earlier in the day he had sent a text to Donald asking him about the Garrett trade. Then McAfee asked Donald if there might be a possibility that Donald would like to suit up next to Garrett and play again.
Donald’s response was:
“It for sure got me thinking.”
Um, come again? Aaron Donald might be returning? We all know that the Rams front office is very aggressive. They have been working on the Garrett deal since the Combine. It would surprise nobody if they asked Donald to come in for a physical, then sign him to a deal.
If Donald has been keeping in shape, this just might be a thing. But consider this: Most athletes work out the first year or so, then begin to slack off because of other projects in life and if they are now employed. And also remember that “in-shape” isn’t “in football shape.” There is a huge difference.
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Donald’s career sack numbers of 111 are very impressive, but two other career stats show off his elite status: 176 tackles for loss and 910 pressures.
Rams head coach Sean McVay was asked the same question about Donald returning now that the club has Garrett in the house. His response to Sarah Barshop of ESPN Los Angeles:
“Talked to (Donald) about the opportunity to be able to bring him on board. If Aaron decides he wants to dust them off at the age of 35, I bet you he could still do it at a pretty high clip.”
McVay also mentioned, “Aaron’s respect that he has for Myles.”
And there are others along the Rams D-Line. Ranked #10 was Byron Young, who had 12 sacks. DE Kobie Turner ranked #42 with seven.
As far as the financials, the Rams currently have $16.3 million in cap space. That alone can easily squeeze Donald onto the roster.
