Aaron Donald Spotted Working Out at Rams Facility, But ESPN’s Fowler Says No Decision Has Been Made
Aaron Donald was back on the practice field at the Rams’ Woodland Hills facility this week, and it took about five minutes for the internet to decide he’s coming out of retirement. The reality, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, is a lot less dramatic.
Donald was filmed running through drills at the team’s training complex, footage that usatoday reported and that quickly spread across NFL social media. It’s the latest data point in a comeback storyline that’s been building since Los Angeles landed reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in a blockbuster June trade with Cleveland.
Fowler: “No Hard News Here”
Speaking on “SportsCenter” Saturday, Fowler poured cold water on the idea that the workout signals anything new. He said Donald has not made a decision about playing in 2026, and that showing up at the Rams facility isn’t unusual behavior for him.
“Aaron Donald, I’m told, has not made a decision about his future as to whether to play this year, and that he does work out at the Rams facility off and on, really over the last few years since he’s been retired,” Fowler said. “So there’s no hard news here. As last I checked, the Rams hadn’t made any sort of firm contract offer to Donald.”
That timeline lines up with independent reporting. Heavy.com confirmed the same remarks from Fowler’s SportsCenter appearance, noting that Donald’s presence at Rams facilities has been a fairly regular occurrence since he stepped away from football in 2024, not a sign of an imminent return.
Fowler did leave the door open, though. He described the Rams as open to the idea internally, and said Donald himself hasn’t shut it down either.
“Now the Rams are leaning into this possibility, when you talk to people there, they’re not denying it,” Fowler said, adding that NFC coaches and executives have been asking around about whether it’s really going to happen.
He floated a specific scenario worth watching: Donald skipping training camp entirely, then signing mid-to-late season to pair with Garrett down the stretch. No move like that is close to happening. It’s speculation from a well-sourced reporter, not a plan in motion.
Why the Buzz Won’t Die Down
Donald retired in March 2024 after 10 seasons, all with the Rams, finishing with 111 career sacks — the second-most by a defensive tackle in NFL history. He made all 10 Pro Bowls, earned eight first-team All-Pro nods, and won the award that matters most for this storyline: Defensive Player of the Year, three times. Only Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt have matched that total.
Then Los Angeles traded for Garrett, the two-time DPOTY winner who set the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23 in 2025. The Browns sent him west for pass rusher Jared Verse and a package of future draft picks, a move that instantly reshaped the Rams’ Super Bowl odds for a season the league is already holding at SoFi Stadium.
Pairing Donald with Garrett would put two multi-time Defensive Player of the Year winners on the same defensive line at the same time — something that, per available award history, has never happened in the modern era of the honor. That’s the pull driving the speculation, even with no contract offer on the table.
| Player | DPOTY Awards | Career Sacks | Age Entering 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Donald | 3 | 111.0 | 35 |
| Myles Garrett | 2 | 125.5 | 30 |
The football reason this works, if it happens, comes down to what the Rams would actually need from Donald. He wouldn’t have to be the every-down force he was in his prime. With Garrett commanding double-teams off the edge, a rotational role for Donald as an interior pass-rush specialist on passing downs is realistic, the kind of usage that could preserve his body across a 17-game season while still generating pressure.
What’s Still Unconfirmed
None of this is close to official. There’s no contract, per Fowler’s own account. There’s no declared decision from Donald. And head coach Sean McVay has stopped short of confirming talks, saying last month only that he’d spoken with Donald about the possibility of bringing him back on board — a far cry from an announcement.
The next couple of weeks carry some weight here. Training camp is approaching, and if Donald is going to make a call before the season starts rather than in-season, that window is closing. Until something changes, this remains a workout, a lot of speculation, and a reporter saying, in as many words, that there’s no hard news yet.