Aaron Donald sends strong warning to NFL after returning to Rams

While his process took longer than had been thought, the NFL community learned on Sunday that defensive superstar Aaron Donald had decided to come out of retirement to play for the Los Angeles Rams this season. 

Later on Sunday, Donald shared somewhat of a warning for the rest of the league regarding his future performances. 

Aaron Donald hasn't "missed a step" since retiring

"Everybody knows I kept myself in shape, lifting weights," Donald said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "Conditioning, I did condition myself. I did run full-speed on the treadmill. It was a little different transition to the grass again, running, cutting. The first day I got to train with my speed trainer since high school, he looked at me and said, 'You ain’t missed a step.' That’s why it was important for me to work with a guy that’s known me, been around me since Day One, since high school, just to get his advice of how I’m looking, what he’s thinking." 

While Donald hasn't played in a game since he retired in March 2024, the fact that he seemingly hasn't lost a step at the age of 35 could terrify opposing quarterbacks around the league. Donald earned Defensive Player of the Year Award honors on three occasions during the first portion of his playing career, and some feel he is the greatest overall defensive player in NFL history. He now has two-time Defensive Player of the Year and star pass-rusher Myles Garrett as a teammate. 

"[Y]ou bring a guy in like Myles Garrett, a generational talent, and it’s like, that can be fun, right? ...I think this is a complete team with me here or without me here," Donald explained, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "So, for me to even have the opportunity to be a part of this, be with this team, I take nothing for granted. It’s a blessing to be retired from the game for two years and have the opportunity to come back and be a part of something special. Nothing’s promised, nothing’s guaranteed. But I’m willing to try to get to that ultimate goal, what it is, day by day, week by week, and just stack those days."

Aaron Donald "100 percent" confident about this

As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Rams as the overall betting favorites at +500 odds to win Super Bowl LXI. The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens were next on the list at +1000 odds. 

It remains to be seen if Donald will play in the Rams' regular-season opener versus the rival San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 10 (U.S. time). If he doesn't, he could make his in-game return for the Week 2 "Monday Night Football" home matchup versus the New York Giants on Sept. 21. 

"But do I feel like I can play at a high level? Yes. Do I feel like I can still be myself? 100 percent," Donald added. "If I didn’t feel like that, I wouldn’t be here. So, from everything I did, from training with just conditioning to the football transition and doing football drills and things of that nature — I recorded everything, I studied myself to a T, watched every movement, every cut, every hip flip. In my opinion, I don’t see a difference. If not, it looks a little cleaner to me."

If Donald's assessment is correct and he can stay healthy, he could be months away from becoming a two-time Super Bowl champion.