Aaron Donald won't make Rams return vs. 49ers in Australia after coming out of retirement

Posted by Admin September 8, 2026 NFL

Aaron Donald’s official return to the Los Angeles Rams will have to wait.

Donald is not traveling with the Rams to Melbourne this week and will be inactive for their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, head coach Sean McVay confirmed on Tuesday.

It’s not clear when Donald will be ready to make his official debut with the team this season, though the franchise apparently wanted more time for him to ramp back up after he came out of retirement to rejoin the team earlier this fall.

Donald and the Rams announced late last month that they had reached a one-year, $20 million deal for him to come out of retirement and play for the team again. Donald missed the past two seasons after he retired in 2024. Donald racked up 111 sacks throughout his career, which is No. 33 on the NFL’s all-time list, and he had 53 total tackles during his final season in 2023. He was a huge piece in the Rams’ Super Bowl run during the 2021 season, too.

Rumors of Donald’s return had been swirling for weeks before he made the decision, especially after the team landed Myles Garrett in a blockbuster trade back in June.

Donald, now 35, said when he returned that he had been locked in to his training for the last 13 or 14 weeks, and was testing out his body to make sure he could still physically play professional football. The team has been ramping him up ever since to get him ready for the regular season after he missed nearly all of the preseason. Clearly, Donald and the Rams feel he needs a bit more time to get there.

The Rams are flying to Melbourne on Tuesday night, and will land in the country on Thursday morning. They plan to leave shortly after the game on Friday morning local time, too, and will arrive back in Los Angeles less than three days after leaving. While Donald doesn’t get to play in the contest, the first NFL regular season game to be held in Australia, he does get to avoid two incredibly long travel days by sitting this contest out.

The Rams will host the New York Giants in Week 2 after returning to the United States. That contest at SoFi Stadium could be an ideal spot for Donald’s debut, especially since the team will play on the road in back-to-back weeks after that.

While it’s still unknown when it’ll happen, Donald’s return will now officially be happening in the United States.