Aaron Donald is back in the NFL after two years in retirement, officially returning to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. When he retired in 2024, he still had one year left on his contract, which gave the Rams a base structure to work with in his return.
The remaining amount on his previous contract was $30 million for one year, and the Rams only had to make some slight tweaks to it for the upcoming season. According to reports, Donald signed a one-year deal worth $20 million, with a max value of $30 million if he earns all of the incentives.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared the finer details of Donald’s new deal Monday, revealing that his base salary is just $10 million. He’ll also earn $10 million in 53-man roster bonuses, which amount
to $666,667 per game for 15 games. The Rams were given a two-game roster exemption for Donald, which is likely why the bonuses top out at 15 games instead of 17.
That allows him to miss a couple of games and still earn that $10 million if he’s on the active roster for a total of 15 games.
And finally, there is another $10 million available in incentives, bringing the max value up to $30 million. Breer didn’t specify what those incentives are, but he says the playing time triggers “are very achievable, even if Donald is in a rotation.
If the Rams have a good season, Donald “should get to $25 million, according to Breer.
Then there’s another $10 million in playing time/playoff incentives. The playing time triggers are very achievable, even if Donald is in a rotation. Getting all the way back to $30 million requires a Super Bowl, but if the Rams are just really good again, Donald should get to $25 million.
The Rams only had about $15-plus million in cap space before Donald returned, so his previous deal of $30 million wouldn't have fit under the cap. That's why the Rams dropped his base salary to $10 million with no signing bonus to prorate, making his cap hit $10 million for 2026, per Over The Cap. The $10 million in per-game roster bonuses and $10 million in other incentives do not take up cap space.
In all likelihood, Donald will make at least $20 million from the Rams this season, and as Breer reports, it'll be more like $25 million. He's a future Hall of Famer who still believes he can be his usual self, so it's not as if the Rams were going to get him back for pennies on the dollar.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Here are the details of Aaron Donald's new contract with the Rams
