Earlier this month, Rams coach Sean McVay turned uncharacteristically truculent when asked about reports that his team would arrive late and leave early from Australia.
It was clear McVay didn’t want to talk about the topic publicly until he talked to his team, which meant there was no reason to talk to a 90-man team about something that would ultimately impact only 53 of them (plus the practice squad).
On Sunday, he was asked whether he has spoken to the team about the itinerary.
“I haven’t done that yet,” McVay said, “so that means I’m not talking to you about it either.”
The next question was whether he has a timeline for doing so.
“I’ll probably do it the week of the game so don’t ask me until then,” McVay said. “Here’s what I would tell you though. I know we’ve laughed and had some good fun interactions about it, but I do want to be able — I think they have a loose idea of what we’re doing but I do still think it is appropriate in terms of the trajectory. I want to be able to talk to them about it, but we’re leaving later than most people would probably expect.”
In other words, yep, they’re going late. And they’re leaving early.
With the apparent goal of minimizing the impact of the stay in Melbourne on their body clocks. The question is whether they’ll be appropriately acclimated to perform in Australia, given the long flight and the short lag time. Especially since the 49ers apparently plan to get there several days before the Rams.
Either way, the game is only 10 days away. And the travel discrepancy could be an issue during the game. After the game, the question will be whether the Rams recover more quickly than the 49ers from the ordeal, given the decision not to stick around long enough to adjust to being in the land down under.
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Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald returned to the team on August 30. They play the 49ers in Australia on September 10.
The most immediate question is whether he’ll play and, if so, the number of snaps he’ll take.
Several weeks ago, it was believed that the target for Donald would be 30 to 40 snaps. That was based on Donald returning in time to have a sufficient ramp-up process for the first game.
While it took a little longer than originally expected, there’s an apples-to-apples comparison. In 2018, Donald held out until August 31. And the Rams played their first game on Monday, September 10, against the Raiders.
In that game, the Rams had 70 defensive snaps. Donald participated in 62 of them.
Although Donald is eight years older ago than he was in 2018 (as we all are), 30-40 doesn’t seem ridiculous.
Regardless, the clock is ticking. And Donald is practicing. He’ll eventually be playing. Whether that’s Week 1 against the 49ers or Week 2 against the Giants remains to be seen.
The Rams were the clear Super Bowl favorites even before Aaron Donald came out of retirement. Now it’s not even close.
The current Super Bowl odds have the Rams as +500 favorites to win it all. At the start of this month, when it was unclear whether Donald would return, the Rams were at +550. After trading for Myles Garrett, the Rams were at +600. Before adding Garrett, the Rams were +850.
Betting on the Super Bowl favorites is usually a way to lose money, because most years, the preseason Super Bowl favorite doesn’t end up winning it all. Last year, the Eagles, Bills and Ravens were co-favorites heading into the season at +700. The eventual Super Bowl winners, the Seahawks, were tied for the 15th longest odds at +6000.
This year’s odds now have the Bills and Ravens tied for second at +1000 to win the Super Bowl, followed by the Seahawks at +1200 and Chiefs at +1600.
Super Bowl LXI will be played on February 14, 2027, at the Rams’ home field, SoFi Stadium. The last time the Super Bowl was there, the Rams won it all. They’re the favorites, but by no means a sure thing, to win on their home field again at the end of this season.
Aaron Donald is returning to the Rams at the age of 35 after two years of retirement, and he says he hasn’t lost a step.
More importantly, the trainer who has been timing Donald in speed workouts throughout his football career says he has the data to show that Donald hasn’t lost a step.
“Everybody knows I kept myself in shape, lifting weights,” Donald said. “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 and 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.”
Donald’s trainer, Dewayne Brown, posted video a week ago showing Donald doing the footwork drills he has done throughout his NFL career. Donald said the three months of workouts he’s been doing while considering a comeback made him confident that he’s ready to go.
“A long process, but it was my process that I needed to do, to make myself feel like I could do it,” Donald said.
We’ll see whether Donald can do it soon, as Rams coach Sean McVay says Donald could be on the field when the Rams open the season against the 49ers in Australia on September 10.
Now that Aaron Donald is officially back with the Rams, when will he play?
Could it be as soon as Week 1?
Head coach Sean McVay didn’t rule out Donald potentially playing in Australia when the Rams open the season against the 49ers. But he also didn’t want to put a timetable on anything for the three-time AP defensive player of the year.
“I’m not going to talk about any sort of plans, it’s going to be a day at a time for us,” McVay said in his Sunday press conference. “What does that mean for Australia? The first step was, alright, if you’re coming back, let’s do that, let’s get you back on the practice field, let’s get you acclimated to your teammates, to your coaches. And then we’ll see what that ramp-up period looks like, whether or not he’s available or whether or not we think it’s best to play him in Australia. I think the best way to do it is take it one day at a time.
“But, we’re obviously excited to be able to have him back.”
As he has throughout the summer, McVay noted how much Donald means to him personally when discussing his enthusiasm for the defensive tackle’s return.
“It’s way bigger than football,” McVay said. “There’s a lot of history. There’s a lot of experiences that we’ve shared. A lot of love for each other’s families. So, I know for him to want to be able to explore this and come back into the mix is a real credit to the special people that he’s got a chance to be around, and that’s his teammates, and that’s obviously his coaches. And excited to start this journey.
“He’s one of one.”
So how did it get to this point?
“I think he wanted to get to a point where he knows just from his previous experiences, alright, I want to be able to be there, be a part of the football team, and I think there were some things that he wanted to be able to work through — just in terms of his workouts and where he felt his body was before he could comfortably get to this spot,” McVay said. “And so, that was really what went into it.
“He and I both kind of had an unspoken understanding like, once we get the roster down, where are you at with it? You don’t owe us anything. And no matter what, there’s a lot of love. We wanted to make sure that he felt good about doing that. He obviously is incredibly — his priority is with his family. And so when he does something, he does it all in. That’s what led to being able to get it done today.”
Aaron Donald officially ended his two-season retirement on Sunday, returning to the Rams on a one-year deal for 2026.
He even participated in practice on his first day, going through individual drills with his fellow D-linemen before heading to the locker room.
While the world found out Donald’s plans on Sunday, he told reporters after practice that he’d known he was coming back for some time.
“I know the world was saying all types of different things and nobody knew what was going on. But I kind of knew for two weeks,” Donald said in his press conference. “And then I talked to Sean [McVay] every single week. Damn near every day. So, we stayed in contact, I’d give him all my updates, how I was feeling, how things were going. So, I know he got annoyed with asking all the questions in camp every damn day, so I felt bad for him at that point. But I was doing everything I needed to do to give myself the peace of mind to see if I could do it. So there wasn’t any rushing.
“Just wanted to take my time to make the right decision, because once you choose to come back, you’re all the way back in. Can’t be halfway in, you’ve got to be all the way in it. So, had to get to that point where I felt like I would feel like I’m 100 percent committed to playing football again — because the last two years have been amazing. Building things I’ve been building, working on what I’ve been working on. Kind of working from home and jumping back in the fire playing football again. So, really had to sit back, think about it — not just from a physical aspect, but from a mental aspect as well. Everything just played out how it played out and we’re back here now.”
Donald said he felt like the Rams were already a complete team without him. But based on some of the team made throughout the offseason, Donald started to get that itch to play again. He seemed particularly intrigued by the thought of playing with reigning defensive player of the year Myles Garrett.
“[Y]ou bring a guy in like Myles Garrett, a generational talent, and it’s like,” Donald paused and smiled before continuing, “that can be fun, right? And, obviously, what they did on the backend with bringing certain pieces they needed in the secondary, man. And I think this is a complete team with me here or without me here. 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.”
Donald’s work ethic and his workouts are famous for being strenuous. He said he’s been seriously training to get back into football shape for about 13 to 14 weeks and now feels like he can be himself on the field.
“To be honest with you, I’ve kind of been in the football mindset the last 14 weeks, grinding,” Donald said. “If anything, it’s getting back on the grass and knocking the rust off as far as playing football again — 11-on-11, working my eyes, getting a feel for the game, certain reaction things that made me who I am. So, I put myself in the best position the best way I can by training to get to where I’m at now. And the only thing I can do now is play 11-on-11 and knock the rust off, get going, get caught up with the speed of the game, and the rest is the rest.
“But do I feel like I can play at a high level? Yes. Do I feel like I can still be myself? 100 percent. 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. Two years, your body feels a little different. But still got to go out there, play 11-on-11, get myself going, and get myself where I need to be as far as playing football again.”
So will Donald be on the field in Australia when the Rams play the 49ers in Week 1? That’s still — at least publicly — to be determined. But at this point, it would almost seem like an upset if Donald weren’t available to play to start the season.
“I’m here to just go day by day, work,” Donald said. “I’m not here to be given nothing. I earn any position that I’m in. Whatever that is, whatever my role is, I’m going to earn it.
“So, day by day, just work, grind, get myself to where I need to be, at the level that I want to play at. And that’s all I can do.”
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald returned to the Rams’ roster on Sunday and he returned to the field with the team later in the day.
Video from Rams practice shows Donald going through drills with his teammates for the first time since he retired after the 2023 season. Donald worked out at the team’s facility on his own multiple times while making up his mind about ending that retirement to suit up alongside Myles Garrett on the team’s defensive line.
That became reality on Sunday and Donald’s presence on the practice field shows that he’ll be pushing to get on the field when the Rams face the 49ers in Australia to open the season.
That game is on September 10, so there’s a little more than a week of time for Donald to work with the team before they are on the field in Melbourne.
Aaron Donald isn’t the only Rams player making a return to practice on Sunday.
Via multiple reporters on the scene, receiver Puka Nacua is back on the field participating in the day’s session.
Nacua had been sidelined by a groin issue.
But while Nacua is on the field, edge rusher Myles Garrett is still out of practice. While he’s on the field, he’s not in uniform and is working with trainers off to the side as he deals with swelling in his knee.
With their 53-man roster set, the Rams are now ready to prepare to play the 49ers in Australia to open the season on Sept. 10.
Aaron Donald is back, but when will he officially be back?
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, a Week 1 debut remains “possible” for Donald. It hinges on how his ongoing ramp-up efforts unfold.
If he had returned earlier this month, he would have been on track for 30-40 snaps in the regular-season opener.
The Rams open the season in Australia on September 10. They reportedly will arrive a day before the game, giving them extra time to get Donald ready at the team facility.
The specific timing of Donald’s return opens the door to the possibility that Donald will be placed on the reserve/PUP or reserve/NFI list to start the season. There has been some chatter that Donald had hoped to go that route; however, the Rams (we’re told) want him back “ASAP.”
His contract is structured to let him miss two games but still make his full $20 million base compensation package. He has 53-man roster bonuses of $666,667 that max out at $10 million.
Regardless, he’ll be back. Whether that’s in Week 1 or Week 2 or later remains to be seen.
He’s back.
And the return of defensive tackle Aaron Donald has been memorialized in a contract that replaces the $30 million salary on the one year that remained on his prior deal, when he retired after the 2023 season.
Per a source with knowledge of the contract, here are the details:
1. 2026 base salary: $10 million.
2. 2026 53-man roster bonus: $666,667 per game, with a maximum of 15 games.
3. 2026 playoff qualification incentive: $2.5 million, if he plays at least 15 percent of the regular-season defensive snaps.
4. 2026 wild-card incentive: $1.25 million, if active for the game (or if the Rams earn a bye).
5. 2026 divisional-round incentive: $1.25 million, if active for the game.
6. 2026 conference championship incentive: $2.5 million, if the team wins the game, if he participates in at least 20 percent of the defensive snaps in the NFC Championship, and if he participates in at least 15 percent of the regular-season snaps.
7. 2026 Super Bowl incentive: $2.5 million, if the team wins the game, if he participates in at least 20 percent of the defensive snaps in the Super Bowl, and if he participates in at least 15 percent of the regular-season snaps.
That’s a maximum of $30 million. But it ultimately hinges on getting to the Super Bowl and winning it.
Which is one of the big reasons why he’s coming back, after two years out of football.
