Aaron Donald Works Out With Rams Again, But McVay Won't Set a Timeline
Donald put in a second workout with the Rams this month. He posted 8 sacks and 16 TFL in his final season (2023) — and retirement isn't officially over yet.
No signing, no snaps, no timeline — nothing to draft on yet.
- Second Rams workout this month (Sunday)
- First facility visit logged Aug. 5
- Donald is 35, retired after 2023 season
- 8 sacks, 16 TFL, 23 QB hits in final year
- Eight-time first-team All-Pro
Aaron Donald is inching closer to football — or at least closer to a decision. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year worked out with the Rams for the second time this month on Sunday, and coach Sean McVay admitted he'd like a resolution soon while flatly refusing to attach any date to it. Donald has been mulling a return since early June, right around when Los Angeles traded for edge rusher Myles Garrett.
The numbers still work in Donald's favor. In his final season back in 2023, he racked up 8 sacks, 16 tackles for loss and 23 quarterback hits — modest by his standards, yet still enough to land his eighth first-team All-Pro nod. Now 35, he has to prove his body can stack back-to-back days at an elite level, and every session in LA is another data point.
McVay was careful not to box Donald in. He said he's hopeful clarity comes sooner rather than later, but he doesn't want to invent a deadline or pile pressure on a player who's earned the right to set his own benchmarks. There are, McVay noted, some loose target dates internally — nothing binding.
The optics matter. Donald's first appearance at the facility on Aug. 5 had to be reported on the NFL transaction wire because he used team equipment during camp — the closest thing to an official practice he's done since retiring. Two workouts in two weeks isn't nothing.
What It Means for the Rams
Even without Donald, this defense projects as a top unit after adding Garrett plus corners Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Slotting arguably the best defensive tackle ever back into that front would push a preseason Super Bowl favorite even higher. Nobody's expecting prime Donald, but anything near that 2023 line would be gravy.
The Fantasy Angle
For IDP and DST managers, this is a watch, not a move. There's no signing, no timeline, and no guarantee Donald plays a single snap in 2026 — McVay went out of his way to say as much. Don't burn a bench spot or a waiver claim on a guy who's still officially retired. If a signing hits the wire, that's your cue to pounce, because a healthy Donald instantly lifts a Rams DST that's already worth rostering. Until then, keep him bookmarked and spend your capital elsewhere.
