The Los Angeles Rams made their latest win-now move when they acquired two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns via a transaction that became official on Monday.
Interestingly, retired defensive superstar and Rams icon Aaron Donald seems to want the world to know that he is in shape and possibly ready to make a return to the playing field. During a Tuesday appearance on the ESPN “Get Up” program, NFL insider Adam Schefter addressed whether or not Donald could line up next to Garrett later this year.
Could the Rams afford to bring Aaron Donald out of retirement?
“I brought up the idea to the Rams [Monday],” Schefter said about Donald possibly unretiring this summer, “and they said right now they’ve spent all their money.”
Specifically, Schefter noted that the Rams are “paying an awful lot of money” to the likes of Garrett and cornerback Trent McDuffie. Garrett inked a four-year, $160M contract extension last offseason, while the Rams signed McDuffie to a four-year, $124M extension this past March.
“Another team called and asked me [Monday], ‘Could the Rams sign Aaron Donald?’ And I said, ‘They’re out of money.’ And he said, ‘In this league, you can always find money.'”
Donald hasn’t played since the 2023 season, but the three-time Defensive Player of the Year Award winner is still just 35 years old. Thus, one couldn’t be blamed for thinking he could have plenty left in the tank for a “Last Dance” season.
For what it’s worth, Donald insisted in November 2025 that he no longer loved “playing the game of football” and didn’t have “an itch” to make a return to an active roster. Of course, such comments were made before the Rams played in this year’s NFC Championship Game and before Los Angeles acquired Garrett.
Is Adam Schefter slamming the door shut on a potential Aaron Donald return?
“I wouldn’t say there’s a zero percent chance of it happening,” Schefter added about Donald rejoining the Rams. “I don’t put a high degree of probability on it happening, but I’m not ready to just write it off and say, ‘This is absolutely not gonna happen.'”
In short, Garrett may want to give Donald a call to see how the one-time Super Bowl champion feels about possibly hitting a quarterback or two later this fall.