Aaron Donald Works Out With Rams Again as Adam Schefter Details What’s Holding Up His Comeback
Aaron Donald is back in a Rams helmet. The question is still whether he’s coming back for real.
The 35-year-old defensive tackle ran through drills at the Rams’ facility in Woodland Hills on Wednesday, his second formal workout with the team in roughly three weeks. The session showed up on the NFL’s official transaction wire, which the Rams are required to file any time a free agent uses team equipment and facilities. According to CBS Sports, Donald wore a helmet but no pads during the workout.
That distinction matters. Donald’s first documented workout came in mid-July and didn’t require league notification. This one did, because it happened on Rams property with Rams gear — a small procedural detail that turned into the internet’s latest excuse to speculate about a Hall of Famer coming out of retirement.
What ESPN’s Adam Schefter Said About the Holdup
Appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN insider Adam Schefter explained why Donald hasn’t made a call yet. It isn’t about the Rams wanting him back — that part isn’t in question. It’s about Donald wanting to know if his body can still do what it used to.
“He’s trying to see if he can regain and recapture the form that made him one of the most dominant defensive players in NFL history,” Schefter said.
Schefter added that the decision sits entirely with Donald. ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) posted the SportsCenter clip on X: “Adam Schefter speaks on what needs to happen for Aaron Donald to return to the NFL” —
“He’s trying to see if he can regain and recapture the form that made him one of the most dominant defensive players in NFL history.”
Adam Schefter speaks on what needs to happen for Aaron Donald to return to the NFL 🗣️
(via @SportsCenter) pic.twitter.com/BB6MEUKzDr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 6, 2026
“If he feels like he can get close to that form, then certainly he can come back and play,” Schefter said. He was clear that the Rams aren’t pressuring their former star. Donald retired after the 2023 season, and if he wants back in, the door is open. If he doesn’t, nobody in the building is going to push him.
Why This Started: The Myles Garrett Trade
Donald comeback talk didn’t come out of nowhere. It traces back to June 1, when the Rams traded for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, sending draft capital and edge rusher Jared Verse to Cleveland. Pairing a fresh DPOY winner with a three-time DPOY winner on the same defensive line is the kind of math that gets fan bases dreaming, and it’s reportedly part of what got Donald thinking about a return in the first place.
Garrett himself has been careful not to lobby for it publicly. Speaking to reporters, per the Associated Press, Garrett said he’d welcome Donald as a teammate but doesn’t want to be the one applying pressure. “It’s just whether he wants to do that for however many games he chooses to play,” Garrett said last month.
Sean McVay Has Been Cautiously Optimistic
Rams head coach Sean McVay has fielded Donald questions all camp and has kept his answers consistent: things are trending the right way, but nothing is close to official. Speaking with reporters, McVay said Donald’s potential return is “trending upward,” while stressing that any decision would be made away from the cameras at the team’s Woodland Hills facility, not out on the practice fields at camp.
McVay has also set expectations on timing. He’s said publicly that no news is likely until the Rams wrap up the portion of training camp they’re currently holding at Loyola Marymount University and return to their own facility. That timeline lines up with Wednesday’s workout, which took place at Woodland Hills rather than at camp.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Career sacks (Rams franchise record) | 111 |
| Defensive Player of the Year awards | 3 |
| Pro Bowl selections | 10 |
| Last season played | 2023 |
| Retirement announced | March 2024 |
What Comes Next
Nobody outside Donald’s inner circle knows how Wednesday’s session actually went. No team official has commented on his performance, and Donald hasn’t spoken publicly about it either. What’s clear is that this is now his second hands-on look at NFL-level work since he last suited up, and the Rams keep making it easy for him to test himself without forcing his hand.
The Rams went 12-5 last season and reached the NFC Championship Game, their deepest playoff run since winning Super Bowl LVI. They open the 2026 season against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia on September 10. Whether Donald is part of that opener remains, for now, entirely up to him.
