Aaron Donald Moves Closer to Comeback with Rams

Aaron Donald formally worked out with the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday, markingly taking one of the final steps before the superstar defensive tackle would decide whether to end his 2 1/2-year retirement. The 35-year-old Donald participated in a hosted workout with the Rams, according to the league's official transaction wire, which tracks such workouts with free agents prior to their potential signings to NFL rosters. Donald had been working out at the Rams' Woodland Hills training complex and at home for several weeks in his attempt to return to NFL shape.

While the Rams emphasized their willingness to wait indefinitely for Donald to decide, coach Sean McVay expressed cautious optimism over the past week regarding the prospect of pairing Donald and Myles Garrett together this season on a formidable defensive line. "If there’s an arrow, it’s trending upwards," McVay remarked last Friday.

McVay indicated that the Rams did not expect a decision until after concluding training camp at Loyola Marymount University that week. The Rams planned to reconvene in Woodland Hills on Saturday for their first post-camp practice.

Donald retired somewhat abruptly in March 2024 following a decorated 10-year career spent entirely with the Rams. He won the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award three times alongside eight All-Pro selections, ten Pro Bowl selections, and a Super Bowl championship ring. Donald seemingly began to entertain the idea of a comeback early last month after the Rams traded for Garrett, one of Donald's few contemporaries. The 30-year-old Garrett won two of the last three Defensive Player of the Year awards in Cleveland, garnering five All-Pro nods and seven Pro Bowl selections while also setting the NFL's single-season sacks record last year.

"If he’s here, I’m going to be excited to be his teammate, his partner in crime," said Garrett last week. "I think we’re going to do great things."
Reporting by the Associated Press.