Aaron Donald sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Sunday. It read: "Dear Commissioner Goodell: I'm Back." The Rams posted it on social media. That was the announcement.
Donald, 35, is coming out of retirement after two seasons away, signing a one-year, $20 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams that can reach $30 million with playoff incentives.
He last played in 2023, retired in March 2024 at what everyone assumed was 32 years old and done forever, and then Myles Garrett arrived in Los Angeles and lit something back up.
"For sure got me thinking," Donald said in June of the Garrett trade. He worked out with the Rams on August 5, worked out again on August 16, and Sunday it became official.
He is joining a defensive line that already includes Garrett, Braden Fiske, Byron Young and Kobie Turner, arguably the most terrifying defensive front in modern NFL history.
Garrett led the league in sacks last year. Donald had 111 career sacks in 10 seasons, won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight First-Team All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl ring in 2022.
He did all of that playing defensive tackle, which is not the position from which you normally accumulate those numbers.
DraftKings already had the Rams as Super Bowl favorites before Sunday's news.
The 2027 Super Bowl is at SoFi Stadium, their home. They now have Aaron Donald back. The season has not started and they are already the story.