Aaron Donald officially returns to Rams for one final run to form dream pairing with Myles Garrett
He’s baaaaack.Aaron Donald, one of the Rams’ all-time great difference-making defensive players, is coming out of retirement to help push them to another Super Bowl championship.Motivated by the club’s recent acquisition of pass-rush demon Myles Garrett, and the tantalizing thought of teaming up with Garrett to form a potentially all-time great defensive line, Donald is returning to the NFL after spending the last two years in retirement.The 35-year-old Donald has been blissfully happy in his new life outside of football, but he simply could not pass up the chance to make one last hurrah with Garrett by his side in what is shaping up as a memorable season for the Rams.Donald called it a career at the conclusion of the 2023 season, in which he accumulated eight sacks and 53 tackles.At that point, he had accomplished everything he ever dreamed of while establishing himself as a sure-fire Hall of Famer, a Super Bowl champion and a multiple-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler who terrorized opposing offenses to the tune of 543 tackles, including 176 behind the line of scrimmage, 111 sacks and 260 quarterback hits.He had done everything he set out to do.
Retirement was a difficult-but-understandable decision for such an accomplished player.But the itch is never entirely scratched, and with the Rams poised for another legitimate Super Bowl run, Donald sized up the possibilities of playing alongside Garrett on a stacked Rams defense and a loaded overall roster and said “count me in.”Donald left $30 million on the table when he decided to retire after the 2023 season, and the Rams could be on the hook for that amount now that he is returning.That could present a bit of an issue working him back into the salary cap fold, but between his motivation to return and the Rams’ absolute delight in welcoming him back, the financial part will get figured out.The bottom line is, one of the best defensive linemen in NFL history, and one of the greatest Rams players in franchise h...