Aaron Donald has official workout with Rams as rumors of a comeback continue

Aaron Donald has taken a step to actually come out of retirement.

Donald had an official workout with the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday. While that doesn’t mean he’s back on their roster just yet, it’s a sign that he’s at the very least testing the waters for a possible return.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Donald wanted to do a workout in a football helmet again. He did not wear pads during the workout, but he used Rams team equipment and did the workout at their facility. That required the Rams to report it to the NFL — which is why his name appeared on the wire on Wednesday afternoon.

Donald was arguably the best defensive end in the NFL before he retired after the 2023 NFL season. The 10-time Pro Bowler helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl title in the 2021 campaign, and was named the Defensive Player of the Year three times. He had eight sacks and earned an All-Pro nod in his final season in the league, too.

Rumors that he may unretire started surfacing in recent weeks, especially after the Rams struck a deal to bring in Myles Garrett — who is now arguably the top defensive end in football. The duo, even with Donald now at 35 years old and several years away from the game, would undoubtedly be a strong defensive front for the Rams this fall. 

It’s unclear if Donald’s workout swayed his decision one way or another. We don’t know how close he is to making a decision yet, either.

But a workout at the team’s facility is undoubtedly the first step to a comeback. We’ll see what happens next.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.