Aaron Donald is putting the pads back on. The Los Angeles Rams legend has officially come out of retirement, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $20 million (with incentives pushing it as high as $30 million) that will bring him back to the field for the first time since the 2023 season. The move came together after the Rams traded for Myles Garrett in June, which reportedly reignited Donald's desire to chase one more Super Bowl run alongside a fellow multi-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Donald, who turned 35 in May, spent the better part of two years away from football after announcing his retirement in March 2024. He said at the time that he was "complete" and "full," with the passion to keep playing no longer there. Now, after months of speculation, workouts at the Rams' facility, and conversations with head coach Sean McVay, he's decided the itch to compete outweighs the comfort of retirement.

Before diving into what a 35-year-old Donald might look like on the field, it's worth revisiting the injury history that shaped the final stretch of his career, particularly the last two or three seasons before he walked away.

A Decade of Rare Durability

For most of his career, Donald was almost freakishly durable for a player who took on double teams on nearly every snap. From 2014 through 2017, and again for several years after that, he didn't miss significant time. He dealt with the normal bumps and bruises that come with playing defensive tackle, but nothing that sidelined him for extended stretches. That changed as he entered his 30s, and the wear of a decade in the trenches started to show.

One of the earliest signs came during the Rams' Super Bowl LVI playoff run following the 2020 season. In a wild-card win over the Seattle Seahawks, Donald left the game in the third quarter after Russell Wilson rolled into his ribs while being brought down. Donald was diagnosed with torn rib cartilage. He gutted through the rest of that postseason, but it was an early example of the kind of injury that becomes harder to shake off later in a career.

The Ankle Injury That Changed Everything (2022)

The turning point in Donald's injury history came in 2022. Through the first 11 games of that season, he was still playing at a high level, racking up 49 tackles and five sacks. Then, in Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he suffered a high ankle sprain. He tried to play through it initially, but the Rams eventually shut him down for the rest of the year once it became clear the injury wasn't going to heal in time to matter for a 5-12 team.

It was the first time in nine NFL seasons that Donald had missed multiple games because of injury. He needed surgery to repair the ankle afterward, and he later described the recovery as a "long process," a phrase that stood out given how quickly he'd bounced back from everything else in his career up to that point. He still made the Pro Bowl that year on the strength of his first 11 games, but he had to sit out the game itself because of the injury.

Donald spoke openly about the toll that season took on him. He called it a "starting over from scratch" kind of offseason, and admitted he had something to prove heading into 2023 after not finishing the year the way he wanted to.

Bouncing Back, But Not Fully Unscathed (2023)

Donald's response in 2023 was strong on paper. He played in 16 of 17 games, sitting out only a mostly meaningless Week 18 matchup once the Rams had already locked up a playoff spot. He finished with 53 tackles, eight sacks, and three passes defended, numbers that showed he still had plenty left even after the ankle surgery.

But it wasn't a fully clean season physically. Donald was managing the usual soft tissue issues that come with playing on the interior defensive line into your 30s, and people around the team noted that he was doing more behind the scenes to manage his body than in years past. Whatever the exact toll was, it clearly factored into his decision-making. Two months after that season ended, he announced his retirement at 32 years old, citing that the passion to keep grinding through the physical demands of the position, including the recovery process that injuries like the ankle sprain required, had faded.

What the Layoff Means Now

Donald hasn't played a competitive snap since January 2024, and the two years since have been about training rather than football-specific contact. He's stayed visibly active on social media, posting workout videos, and reports out of Rams camp this summer described him as looking "outstanding" during tryouts and going through what McVay called a "very strict, regimented process" to determine whether his body could hold up to an NFL season again.

That regimented approach matters given the injury history. The ankle surgery in 2022 was the first real crack in what had been an ironman career, and the cumulative effect of playing one of football's most physically punishing positions for a decade is part of why McVay and the Rams reportedly gave Donald no artificial deadline to make his decision. There was no rush to force a 35-year-old body that hasn't taken a football hit in two and a half years back into game shape before it was ready.

For now, the expectation is that Donald will work in as a rotational piece early in the season rather than an every-down player, both to manage his workload and to account for the layoff. But given how he closed out his career, still productive even while dealing with the aftermath of a serious ankle injury, there's reason to think vintage flashes are still very much on the table if his body cooperates.