Pro Football Rumors
Aaron Donald‘s NFL comeback might be in the works, but he is not expected to make a decision on returning to the Rams anytime soon.
“I don’t think, and it doesn’t sound like, we’re gonna get an immediate answer, or an immediate signing, of Aaron Donald,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said. “He’s not gonna come back until he feels like he’s ready to be Aaron Donald again.”
Donald is currently focused on getting back into football shape after two years away from the gridiron. There is no timeline to his process; any decision is unlikely to come until Los Angeles is well into training camp.
Donald’s contract is a key wrinkle that will need to get ironed out before then. He retired with one year and $30MM remaining on his last extension, per OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald, and the eight-time All-Pro could be seeking more than that. Schefter cautions that the Rams may not want to pay out so much money for a 35-year-old who has not played since 2023 and could instead pursue a “compromise contract solution that would work for both sides.”
“It doesn’t sound like it’s going to move fast,” Schefter added. “We may not see Donald back in a Rams uniform until early this season.”
The Rams currently have just under $19MM in cap space (via OverTheCap), so they would need to either restructure one or more of their current contracts or alter Donald’s deal to push some of the cap obligation into the future.
