Donald is active for Monday's game against the Giants, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
It was anticipated that Donald would suit up Monday, and he will officially do so for the first time since January of 2024. Donald is expected to be limited to around 30 snaps, so while he will be in uniform it appears he will not handle a full workload.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Set for limited snaps in return
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Donald is expected to be limited to around 30 snaps in his season debut against the Giants on Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Slated to play in his first NFL game since Jan. 14, 2024, the 35-year-old Donald will be eased back into the mix with a more limited workload than what he's typically handled in the past. Even after a two-year layoff from game action, the Rams are confident that the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year can still be a difference maker along the defensive line. The addition of Donald is a welcome development for the Rams after star edge rusher Myles Garrett (knee) was placed on injured reserve following the season-opening loss to the 49ers in Australia.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Will return Monday night
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Coach Sean McVay confirmed Saturday that Donald is expected to play Monday versus the Giants, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports. "If he said it, he's going," McVay noted. "Whatever Aaron says, I support."
Donald spoke to the media Friday, telling Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com, "That's the plan," when asked if he'll make his season debut Monday and thereby see his first game action since the 2023 season. With McVay supporting such a notion, Donald's status will be confirmed about 90 minutes before Monday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. At 35 years old, Donald's workload remains to be seen, but considering the D-line depth that the Rams boast, he could be eased in for his initial 2026 appearance.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Expects to play Monday
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Donald told Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com on Friday, "That's the plan," when asked if he'll play Monday against the Giants.
Donald made his long-awaited return to the Rams on Aug. 30, but the Rams took advantage of a roster exemption from the NFL and didn't have him travel with the team for a Week 1 matchup with the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. The exemption was lifted on Sept. 11, and he hasn't been included on L.A.'s Week 2 injury report, indicating that he's in the clear to make his first appearance since the 2023 campaign. Donald's comment Friday confirms that he expects to play.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Realistic chance to play in Week 2
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Donald has a "very, very realistic chance" to play versus the Giants in Week 2, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Donald isn't a lock to play against New York on Monday night, but it appears there is a good chance the 35-year-old will suit up for his first NFL game since January 2024. The future Hall of Famer has appeared in 154 regular-season games during his career, accumulating 542 total tackles, 111.0 sacks, 24 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. Donald is also a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time All-Pro and 10-time Pro Bowler, among other accomplishments.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Status TBD for Week 2
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Coach Sean McVay said Monday that Donald's availability for Week 2 against the Giants is still to be determined, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
"We haven't decided that yet," McVay said. "He's going to continue to work his process, and we'll see what that looks like." Donald didn't travel with the Rams to Australia for last week's beatdown at the hands of the 49ers, and Los Angeles now will be without Myles Garrett (knee surgery) for at least the next month. The Rams weren't able to put any pressure on Brock Purdy in Week 1, so getting Donald in the fold can only help while Garrett recovers.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Not playing in opener in Australia
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Head coach Sean McVay said that Donald won't travel to Melbourne, Australia and will be inactive Thursday for the Rams' season opener versus the 49ers, Stu Jackson of the team's official site reports.
After officially re-signing with the franchise on a one-year, $20 million deal Aug. 30, Donald will be given time to regain full conditioning as he makes his return from a two-year retirement. Due to the international scheduling, the Rams will benefit from an extended break before their Week 2 matchup with the Giants in a Monday night game Sept. 21. Donald has strong odds of being available for that contest in what would mark the star defensive tackle's first NFL action since Jan. 14, 2024.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Vague about status for season opener
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Donald stated only "we're taking it day by day" when asked Monday if he'll travel to Australia and/or play in the Rams' season opener against San Francisco on Thursday, Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post reports.
Previous reports indicated that Donald would at least travel to Australia, but it's uncertain if that's still the case. Donald didn't officially unretire until Aug. 30, so he may not be fully ready to return to NFL action after logging his most recent snap during the 2023 season. Even if he does travel and suit up, Donald may be given a reduced workload as he eases his way back from a lengthy hiatus.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Will travel to Australia
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Coach Sean McVay said all Rams players, including Donald, are expected to travel with the team to Australia for next Thursday's Week 1 game against the 49ers, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
According to Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network, it remains to be seen if Donald will suit up for the regular-season opener, but as Cameron DaSilva of USA Today points out, it would seem like the defensive lineman has a good chance to play if the team is putting him on a 16-hour flight. Donald just officially rejoined the Rams last weekend, but he's been working out at the facility this summer and getting into game shape. He could be part of the defensive-line rotation against San Francisco, as Los Angeles will likely be trying to make a statement against a division rival.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: May not debut until Week 2 or 3
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Donald is more likely to debut in Week 2 or Week 3 rather than Week 1, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com on NFL Live.
Donald just rejoined the Rams on Sunday, and the team could give him some time to ramp up before tossing him into the mix. Even if Donald does wind up sitting up the opener -- which will be played in nine days against the 49ers in Australia -- that will not have much of an effect on the long-term outlook for the loaded Rams defense.
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Aaron Donald: No pressure for decision on possible return
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Rams coach Sean McVay said Saturday that the team isn't putting "any sort of unnecessary pressure" on Donald to make a decision this week on whether he wants to unretire, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.
McVay did say that the Rams "have some loose things where we've identified... dates that we'd like to be able to hit" regarding Donald's decision, but the coach added that he isn't looking to pressure the veteran defensive lineman "if there's some unforeseen circumstances." McVay also said that if Donald has "put himself in a position to be able to say yes or no, I think he's earned that right to have clarity on that." Donald took part in an official tryout with the Rams on Aug. 5 and seems to be legitimately considering coming out of retirement and playing this season, but at this point his return to NFL action is far from a guarantee.
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Aaron Donald: Draws praise for workout
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Coach Sean McVay said Thursday that Donald "looked outstanding" during his workout with the Rams on Tuesday, Sarah Barshop of ESPN reports.
It's still up in the air whether the 35-year-old Donald will come out of retirement for the 2026 season, but the Rams at least appears to be open to the proposition. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year would stand to join a stacked defensive front that added five-time All-Pro Myles Garrett during the offseason.
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Aaron Donald: Logs official tryout with Rams
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Donald had a tryout with the Rams on Wednesday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Since the Rams acquired standout pass rusher Myles Garrett from the Browns on June 1, Donald has discussed a potential return to the NFL on multiple occasions. Donald last played during the 2023 campaign and turned 35 years old in May, so it stands to reason he still may be in the process of getting back into game shape. With a tryout under his belt, he'll now need to pass a physical before Los Angeles considers offering the three-time Defensive Player of the Year a contract.
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Aaron Donald: Spotted at Rams facility Friday
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Donald worked out at the Rams' practice field Friday, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.
According to Michael J. Babcock of TMZ Sports, Donald "went through several drills" and appeared "gassed" after a workout that lasted about an hour. While the currently retired defensive lineman could have just been getting in some conditioning work at his former club's facility, the workout takes on added intrigue after Donald said in early June that he's "thinking" of coming out of retirement. To this point, Donald hasn't confirmed either way if he's planning to play next year, so visions of him lining up alongside new Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett remain speculative for now.
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Aaron Donald: Considering return to NFL
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Donald said Tuesday during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that the Rams' acquisition of Myles Garrett on Monday "for sure got [him] thinking" of coming out of retirement.
Donald walked away from the sport at the top of his game following the 2023 season after going to 10 straight Pro Bowls to begin his career. A first-team All-Pro eight times and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Donald said that he's "gotta see if that fire can light back up" at 35 years old before making any decisions on returning to the Rams. The Super Bowl will once again be held in Los Angeles this upcoming season, and the Rams are in win-now mode with reigning MVP Matthew Stafford at the controls.
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Aaron Donald: Announces retirement
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Donald announced his retirement from football Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Donald had one season remaining on his contract and was due a $5 million roster bonus this weekend. He was still one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league in 2023, but retirement makes sense given that there's not a ton left to accomplish. Donald won three DPOY awards (2017, 2018, 2020) and a Super Bowl ring (2021), and he had at least eight sacks every season besides 2022 when he missed six games with an ankle injury. He retires two months before his 33rd birthday, sitting on 111 career sacks and locked in for a Hall of Fame spot. It's a massive loss for the Rams, though the blow is somewhat lessened by Kobie Turner's nine-sack rookie campaign in 2023.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Returns to form in 2023
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Donald recorded 53 tackles (28 solo), 8.0 sacks and three passes defended during the 2023 regular season over 16 games played.
After suffering a high-ankle sprain that required surgery to end his 2022 campaign after just 11 games, seeing the future Hall of Famer play in all but one game (which was a mostly meaningless Week 18 game with a wild-card spot already locked up) was an encouraging sign, and he produced at a reasonable level at the age of 32. Donald finished second on the team in sacks, but for the second straight year he failed to hit double digits on his sack total, while failing to record a forced fumble for the first time since 2015. Donald will likely return for his eleventh season as a key anchor on an otherwise young Rams defense.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Adds another sack in loss
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Donald registered four tackles (two solo), including a sack, in Sunday's 20-3 loss to the Packers.
Donald is now up to 5.5 sacks on the year -- already surpassing his total from the 2022 season -- and leads the team ahead of rookie Byron Young (five). Donald continues to be productive in his 10th year in the NFL and has played at least 75 percent of the defensive snaps in eight of nine games this season. He'll look to help the Rams snap their three-game losing streak after the bye in Week 11 against the Seahawks.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Gets another sack Sunday
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Donald recorded four tackles (two solo) including a sack in Sunday's 29-23 overtime win at the Colts.
Donald surprised no one when he beat a double team, turned the corner and brought down 244-pound quarterback Anthony Richardson in Week 4; it's just what he does. He'll likely be defending the run more when the Rams host the Eagles in Week 5, though.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Productive night in loss
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Donald played on 82 percent of the defensive snaps and finished with seven tackles and a sack in the Rams' 19-16 defeat to the Bengals on Monday.
The defensive tackle also helped hold Cincinnati to less than three yards per carry. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has 11 tackles, four quarterback hits, two tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks through three games.
