It was recently suggested that defensive superstar Aaron Donald may not play for the Los Angeles Rams in their regular-season opener versus the rival San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 10 (U.S. time) if he rejoins the Rams’ active roster at all for the upcoming season.
During a Monday appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network repeated such a take.
Rams don’t need Aaron Donald for 17 games to be good
“I don’t think he plays in that game,” Jeremiah said about Donald’s status for Week 1, per Eduardo Razo of Heavy. “Maybe he signs before then. I don’t think so. If it was me, if I’m (Rams general manager) Les Snead looking at this thing, going, like, don’t even think about 17 games.”
DraftKings Sportsbook has routinely listed a Rams team that acquired star pass-rusher Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns this past spring as the betting favorite at +550 odds to win Super Bowl LXI this coming February. Meanwhile, Rams head coach Sean McVay said that Donald could complete at least a third official workout with the club before making any final decision about a possible comeback.
Donald earned Defensive Player of the Year Award honors on three occasions during his career, but the 35-year-old hasn’t played in a meaningful game since he retired in March 2024.
Are Rams, Aaron Donald still figuring out money for a potential comeback?
In July, Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire/USA Today mentioned that the Rams still have Donald under contract for $30M per the terms of the last deal the future Hall of Famer signed as an active player. During a Monday appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated hinted that the Rams and Donald are still figuring out the financial aspect of the one-time Super Bowl champion making a comeback.
“This isn’t from Rams people or from Donald’s people, but one thing that has continually come up when I talk to other people in the league about it is, ‘How do you work out the money part of it? How much are you paying him? How does it fit into their budget, both cash and cap?'” Breer said about the Donald-Rams situation, per Rams Wire/USA Today. “So there’s that piece of it too. I don’t think he’s going to want to come out there and play for free.”
Until Donald makes his intentions known regarding the 2026 season, outsiders will be left guessing whether or not he will attempt to collect a second Super Bowl ring as a member of the Rams.
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