The Los Angeles Rams are working to trim their roster down to 53 players by Sunday’s deadline at 6 p.m. ET, and while they know the majority of the players who will make the team, they still aren’t sure about one: Aaron Donald.
Donald continues to mull the possibility of coming out of retirement and playing for the Rams, taking his time with that big decision for the 2026 season. There hasn’t been a firm new update in a little while, particularly from Sean McVay or the team.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on “SportsCenter” Sunday morning that the Rams “are still optimistic” about Donald’s return, but there’s no real rush. Here’s what Fowler said, via Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report.
"He's had several workouts with the team that they've had to list
as like a free-agent workout,” Fowler said. “He's done that. Still no firm answer, but there's not a huge rush here. I've never really sensed that because they know Aaron Donald keeps himself in phenomenal shape. He can come in as an in-season sniper. You know, he doesn't have to play the 17 games. They're getting ready to go to Australia. Now, there is still time. They're leaving late in the process, just a few days before that next Thursday. So, still some time if he wants to get signed and get acclimated. He's also got his contract. He's got one year, $30 million that's frozen from his previous contract when he retired. Do they need to re that up? They're sort of waiting for him to decide, 'Do I definitely want to play?' Once he does that, then they can address his contract."
Donald and the Rams have been stuck in this “Does he or doesn’t he?” stage for quite some time. He’s ramped up his workouts and had two “tryouts” with the team, so it’s not as if he isn’t putting in the effort.
But the main thing everyone keeps reporting is that he wants to find out whether he can be his usual self on the field. If he doesn’t feel like the old Aaron Donald, maybe he won’t actually come back.
Even as this drags on, it seems more likely than not that Donald will return.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: ESPN insider: Rams 'still optimistic' about Aaron Donald returning
