Is Aaron Donald really coming back?
As of now, it’s still an open question — one even Rams head coach Sean McVay does not have the answer to.
“I have crossed paths with Aaron Donald,” McVay said in an interview with Jason LaCanfora of The Daily Flock podcast. “What’s special is, we have a really special relationship. It’s way bigger than football. I’ve heard him say it before and it means the world to me — and I feel the same — it’s family with us. He’s done so much for me. I love the man he is. I love the husband, the father, the son — he represents a lot of the things that are right.
“And what he’s going to do is, he is thinking about this. He’s going to go through his process. And the one thing about Aaron Donald is, what he does, he does it full speed ahead.”
Donald was recently captured working out at the Rams’ practice facility in Los Angeles. He’s also posted plenty of pictures and video of himself working out throughout the offseason.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted this week that Donald is trying to get himself ready for the season, and it doesn’t seem like a definitive answer on his return is coming in the immediate future.
Rams veterans will report to camp on Saturday and one of the questions hovering over the team is whether defensive tackle Aaron Donald will be joining them for preseason work.
If that does happen, it appears to be unlikely that Donald will be present for the early part of camp. Donald recently worked out at the Rams’ facility to gauge his fitness after two years of retirement and Adam Schefter of ESPN said on his podcast that Donald is not going to make a quick call about whether he’s ready to return to active duty.
“Aaron Donald is essentially trying to get himself ready for the upcoming season,” Schefter said. “I don’t think, and it doesn’t sound like, we’re gonna get an immediate answer, or an immediate signing, of Aaron Donald. He is too busy trying to get himself back into football shape, to try to regain some of the form he might’ve lost in two years away from football, and he’s not gonna come back until he feels like he’s ready to be Aaron Donald again.”
If Donald does decide to come back, there will be contractual matters to sort out as Donald retired with a year and $30 million left on his deal. That step will also need to be completed before the thought of Donald lining up next to Myles Garrett can go from fantasy to reality.
Rams receiver Puka Nacua’s unusual 2026 began the night the year began, with a claim that he bit a woman on New Year’s Eve.
On Tuesday, a more clear image of the alleged bite emerged.
Madison Atiabi’s attorney, Joseph Kar, provided the photo to the California Post. It’s a color version of a prior version of the same photo. And it shows imprints of roughly 16 teeth, top and bottom, in Atiabi’s back.
In March 2026, Nacua’s attorney, Levi McCathern, dismissed the conduct as “horseplay” in comments to TMZ. Still, McCathern seemed to admit that at least one bite occurred, saying (as characterized by TMZ) that the bite left a “temporary mark.”
As compared to something permanent like a tattoo, sure it’s temporary. But the image of it is clear and jarring.
“I don’t know if you know,” Kar told the Post, “but the mouth is one of the dirtiest places on the planet given the amount of bacteria we have as humans. . . . My client has also suffered severe emotional distress and mental anguish and is being treated.”
The civil case is ongoing. As also noted by the Post, Nacua may be eligible for a pre-trial diversion program in lieu of misdemeanor criminal charges.
Entry into a diversion program would make Nacua susceptible to a suspension under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
Netflix is expected to have Noah Eagle on the play-by-play call for the second game of the 2026 NFL regular season.
When the 49ers play the Rams in Australia, Eagle will be on the call, according to FrontOfficeSports.com. There’s no word yet on who will join Eagle in the booth for commentary.
Eagle and his father, Ian Eagle, both called play-by-play as part of the Netflix doubleheader broadcast last year on Christmas Day. Netflix also has a Christmas doubleheader this year (Bears-Packers and Broncos-Bills), plus a Packers-Rams game on Thanksgiving Eve and a Saturday Week 18 game with teams to be determined.
The Rams are the designated home team for the Australia game, which kicks off at 8:35 p.m. ET on Thursday night, September 10, in the United States (Friday morning in Australia).
Training camps will be opening soon. Before 2011, that meant most teams engaging in a game of beat the clock with most of their draft picks.
Nowadays, most contracts are signed by Memorial Day weekend.
This year, there are four notable exceptions. They are the first four quarterbacks taken in the draft: Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (first overall), Rams quarterback Ty Simpson (13th overall), Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck (third round, 65th overall), and Steelers quarterback Drew Allar (third round, 76th overall).
There’s not much to negotiate. The dollars are set by a formula based on the draft slot. Pressure points in the past have related to signing bonus cash flow, voiding of guarantees, and offsets on guarantees.
Surely, all of the deals will get done. Rookie holdouts are now very rare.
But no deal is done until it’s done. And it’s getting a little glaring for the first four quarterbacks taken in the draft.
