Aaron Donald’s comeback will have to wait a little longer.
The Los Angeles Rams have brought back their longtime defensive tackle after he retired following the 2023 season, but he won’t be on the field when they open the 2026 season against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. Instead, the earliest he is expected to play again is nearly two weeks later, when the Rams host the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Donald’s return to Los Angeles came on a one-year, $20 million contract that can climb to $30 million with incentives. He has been spending the early part of his comeback working back into football shape after sitting out two NFL seasons, and that process has been slow enough that he has taken part in only one full 11-on-11 practice since rejoining the team.
Head coach Sean McVay has handled the situation carefully, giving the veteran time rather than rushing him back for Week 1. That means Donald will not make the trip to Australia, and Rams fans will have to wait until the team is back home for his next chance to suit up.
Donald’s first run in Los Angeles was a decorated one. Over 154 regular-season games, he piled up 111 sacks and 340 tackles for loss, earned 10 Pro Bowl selections, collected eight first-team All-Pro honors, won three Defensive Player of the Year awards and helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI.
If his preparation keeps moving in the right direction, Week 2 against the Giants at SoFi Stadium could be the moment his second Rams stint finally gets underway.
In Other News...
Rams Secondary Overhaul Suddenly Looks Bigger Than Fans Realized
The Rams spent the offseason reshaping the back end of their defense, and the cornerback additions are the kind of moves that can change how a secondary looks from the first snap of the season onward. Around the league, a handful of notable defensive backs changed teams, but Los Angeles stands out because it brought in both Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie, two names that immediately change the conversation about depth, matchups and week-to-week stability.
Watson and McDuffie arrive with different resumes, but the common thread is that each gives the Rams a real chance to raise the floor of a unit that needed fresh answers. The broader league context matters here too, with Chris Johnson landing in Miami, Benjamin St-Juste going to Green Bay and Jamel Dean heading to Pittsburgh, but Los Angeles may have made the most intriguing bet on upside. How quickly that overhaul clicks will go a long way toward showing whether the Rams just added bodies or truly changed the shape of their secondary. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Are Testing A Risky Australia Plan Before NFL History
The Rams have already started treating Melbourne like a dry run, sending employees to Australia to work through the logistics of what would be the NFLs first regular-season game there. The goal is less about sightseeing than survival: charting the travel, the flight experience, sleep, fatigue and recovery so the team can understand what it might feel like to arrive halfway around the world and still be ready to play soon after.
It is a more aggressive approach than the one other teams, such as the 49ers, are expected to take, with San Francisco planning to get to Melbourne a week early. For the Rams, the question is whether the league can turn a historic event into a workable football week without giving away too much on the front end, and the answer may shape how future international games are handled. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Stafford Just Became A Bigger Threat For The Rams
Matthew Staffords postseason story has changed dramatically since he arrived in Los Angeles. After going 0-3 in the playoffs with Detroit, he has since built a 7-3 playoff record with the Rams, and that shift has helped redefine what this franchise can expect when the calendar turns. With the roster around him continuing to evolve, theres a growing sense that Stafford is no longer just the quarterback trying to survive January. He is part of a team that has learned how to lean into those moments.
The Rams have also put work into the rest of the operation, especially the rushing game and the defense, with offseason additions like Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald adding to the sense that the support system around Stafford could get even stronger. Looking ahead to 2026, the expectation is not simply that Stafford will be asked to carry the offense, but that he may have more help than ever if the group comes together the way the Rams envision. The upside is obvious, even if the full picture still has to play out. [Read more 🡒]