Aaron Donald’s return to the Los Angeles Rams was supposed to be the finishing touch on a defense that already had the NFC West on notice. The 10-time Pro Bowler walked away from the game in 2024 with one of the great resumes in franchise history.
Donald is an eight-time First-team All-Pro, three-time Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion, finishing his first run in Los Angeles with 111 sacks and 176 tackles for loss.
Two years later, he’s back on a one-year, $20 million deal to rejoin the Rams for 2026. His comeback landed just weeks after Los Angeles traded for Myles Garrett, the reigning 2025 Defensive Player of the Year, pulling him away from Cleveland.
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That gave the Rams two multi-time DPOY winners anchoring the same defensive line, arguably the scariest pairing up front in the league. The plan was for that duo to debut together against the San Francisco 49ers, in the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Australia.
Instead, Rams fans will have to wait a little longer to see Donald and Garrett line up side by side. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that Donald won’t be making the trip to Australia at all.
He’ll be inactive for the opener as Los Angeles takes a cautious approach to easing its star defensive tackle back into game action after two seasons away from football.
Donald’s contract is incentive-laden, with a $20 million base salary that can climb to $30 million once performance bonuses are factored in for 2026.
Rams fans will have to wait one more week for Donald’s debut. Los Angeles takes on its NFC West rival, the San Francisco 49ers, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, Sept. 11.
