Aaron Donald was just spotted working out at the Rams facility. This is not a rumor anymore. This is happening.
TMZ Sports caught video of Donald on Friday inside the Rams’ training complex, working out in an open field area alongside a few other people. He was rolling medicine balls and running drills. TMZ Sports executive producer Michael Babcock said Donald “went through several drills” in an hour-long workout and looked gassed walking off the field.
Perfect. Gassed is fine. Gassed is Week 1 preseason gassed. Gassed is a guy who has not played since the 2023 season getting back into football shape.
The comeback speculation started the second the Rams traded for All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett. Los Angeles built a defense that suddenly makes sense with a healthy interior anchor next to a two-time NFL sack leader on the edge. That is not a coincidence.
Donald himself has been telling reporters he has “been flirting with the idea” of a Rams return. His social media has been busy for weeks. He is not exactly hiding.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter made a bold prediction last month about Donald’s return timeline. This latest sighting fits Schefter’s projection basically to the day. When the most connected reporter in football projects a comeback and the guy shows up at the facility the next week, you can connect the dots.
Donald turned 35 in May. He has not taken a snap in almost three seasons. That is the honest part of this. He is not going to be 2018 Aaron Donald when he comes back. Nobody is asking him to be. The Rams need him to be someone Sean McVay and Chris Shula can pair with Kobie Turner in a rotation and use as a matchup wrecker in the biggest games.
He can still do that at 65 percent. He was 90 percent of the league’s best defender at his peak.
The Rams roster is quietly stacked again. Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Kyren Williams, Myles Garrett, and now the possibility of Aaron Donald. This is a Super Bowl team on paper.
Retirement did not stick for Tom Brady, and it might not stick for Donald either. If he signs before training camp opens, do not be shocked. The Rams facility just told you what he has already decided.
Get ready. He is coming back.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
