Aaron Donald is back for more. He returned to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday after officially announcing his comeback, coming out of retirement after two seasons away from football.
After practicing for the first time since the 2023 season, he spoke to reporters about this remarkable return. Though he announced the news on Sunday, he’s known for a little while that he was going to play this year.
How long? About two weeks.
“To be honest with you, it was on and off for a while, but knew this decision about two weeks,” he told reporters. “I know the world was saying all types of things and nobody knew what was going on, but I kind of knew for two weeks. But then I talked to Sean every single week, damn near every day, so we stayed in contact. I gave
him all my updates, how I was feeling, how things were going so I know he got annoyed with answering all the questions in camp every damn day, so I felt bad for him at that point.”
He’s been in football mode much longer than that, of course. He first revealed this possibility in June when the Rams acquired Myles Garrett, and Donald says he’s been in a “football mindset for the last 14 weeks.”
“I’ve kind of been in a football mindset for the last 14 weeks, grinding and things,” he said. “If anything, it’s just getting back on the grass and knocking the rust off, as far as playing football again, 11-on-11, working my eyes, getting a feel for the game, certain reaction things that made me who I am.”
Donald isn’t just coming back to coast through the season and be a shell of himself. He believes he can be the same player he was before he retired.
“Do I feel like I can play at a high level? Yes,” he said. “Do I feel like I can still be myself? 100%. If I didn’t feel like that, I wouldn’t be here.”
It’s an exciting time for both the Rams and Donald, making this dream reunion a reality.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Aaron Donald reveals how long ago he knew he was coming back
