Aaron Donald is coming out of retirement and signing with the Los Angeles Rams for the upcoming season.

As reported by NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, Aaron Donald will officially come out of retirement to play for the Los Angeles Rams.

According to the reports, the defensive tackle will sign a one-year contract worth at least $20 million. With potential bonus payments, the total could rise to as much as $30 million.

The 35-year-old played his last season in 2023 after winning the Super Bowl with the Rams in 2022.

“I’ve been working for the past 12 to 13 weeks to get my body in shape and bring it to a level where I can play at a high level and still be durable,” U.S. media quoted Donald as saying. “I’m ready now to come back and try to build something special with this group of guys.”

He’s back: Rams star Aaron Donald is coming out of retirement and returning to the Rams on a one-year, $20M deal that, with incentives, could be worth up to $30M, per @rapsheet and me.& lt;br>
After two seasons away, Donald will now join forces with Myles Garrett, giving the… pic.twitter.com/LO2SoKHFwG

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2026

Aaron Donald: Three-Time Defensive Player of the Year Returns

Rams fans have a lot to look forward to with the combination of Donald and star newcomer Myles Garrett. Together, they have won five Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Donald himself won the award in 2017, 2018, and 2020. He is also one of only three players to have been named NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times—alongside Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt. He has been selected for the Pro Bowl in all ten of his years in the league.

Only former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders had achieved this feat before him. He was also named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014, when he was drafted 13th overall by the St. Louis Rams.

In 2016, he moved to LA with the franchise. In total, he played 165 games for the Rams in the NFL—combined regular and postseason—during which he recorded 117 sacks and over 570 tackles.

NFL: An Unbeatable Rams Defense?

Garrett was acquired from the Cleveland Browns in a blockbuster trade during the offseason after setting the single-season record for most sacks with 23 in 2025.

Since rumors of a possible Donald return had been circulating for some time, fans already suspected they might see the duo together on the Rams’ defensive line.

It now remains to be seen whether defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who took over the position after Donald’s departure in 2024, can form a unit out of these two megastars.