Aaron Donald signed a one-year, $20 million contract to re-join the Los Angeles Rams this past weekend, coming out of retirement to join the Super Bowl favorites before their 2026 campaign. Donald, 35, hasn't played competitive football since his retirement at the conclusion of the 2023 NFL season. He's been staying in shape and working out with the Rams this offseason, but he still needs to work his way up to playing condition.
So, when will Donald make his 2026 debut with the Rams? According to ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano, Donald is looking at a likely target date of Week 2 or Week 3. "And the Rams aren’t going to rule him out in terms of playing Week 1 – at least not yet.
I would say based on everything I’ve been told, a Week 2 or 3 debut looks more likely than Week 1. But again, it’s still on the table. "And in terms of workload, they’ll watch his snaps.
Obviously, they have a lot of depth on that defensive line, even just beyond him and Myles Garrett, so they feel they have the ability early in the season to watch his snaps and count his snaps.” The Rams will open up their 2026 regular-season schedule earlier than most, facing off against the San Francisco 49ers in an international matchup in Australia on Sept. 10.
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