Myles Garrett arrived in Los Angeles to chase a championship, and if a retired Hall of Famer happens to come along for the ride, he will not complain about it.
The Rams defensive end spoke Wednesday about the possibility of Aaron Donald returning from retirement to play alongside him, choosing his words carefully to make clear that he has no intention of pressuring the former tackle into a decision he has not yet made. He said that if the veteran comes back, he is confident the two of them would accomplish great things together, but he also acknowledged the weight of what such a choice involves for someone who has already walked away from the game.
Donald, who retired in March 2024 after 10 seasons and three Defensive Player of the Year awards, is working through a deliberate process to determine whether he wants to return for this season. The Rams’ head coach described it last week as a strict and regimented approach, with the retired player gauging how his body responds to the training he has been putting himself through before making a final decision.
How the conversation started
The possibility of the veteran coming back emerged in part because of the Garrett trade itself. When the Rams were discussing the move that brought Garrett to Los Angeles from Cleveland, the head coach reached out to him for his perspective. That conversation opened a door, and talk about a potential return has grown in the weeks since.
Garrett said he would be genuinely excited to have Donald as a teammate if he chooses to return, describing what the partnership could look like in terms of mutual respect and shared knowledge. He said there is much he believes the two could learn from each other, and that he would relish the chance to study how the former tackle approaches his matchups, one of the most technically sophisticated aspects of his game, with the exchange going both ways.
The appeal of the pairing is obvious to anyone who follows the position. Garrett won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2025 season. Donald won it three times during his career. Putting them on the same defensive line, even for a portion of a season, would create a matchup problem that offensive coordinators around the league would have to spend significant time preparing for.
The challenge of coming back
Garrett was asked what he considered the hardest part of returning to NFL competition after an extended absence, and he gave a candid answer about the physical reality of elite performance. He pointed to tempo as the central challenge, the particular speed at which NFL games operate that no amount of offseason training can fully replicate. He compared it to the feeling of returning from the regular offseason and scaling that up considerably.
Coming back after two years away would mean going through a more extreme version of that process, in which even a player as gifted as Donald would need time before the game slowed back down to a manageable pace. Garrett expressed confidence that the veteran’s talent and work ethic would allow him to do it, but he framed it as ultimately a question of whether Donald wants to commit to however many games that return would involve.
What the Garrett trade means for Los Angeles
Garrett came to the Rams in June in a trade that immediately changed how the league viewed the team’s defensive ceiling. He is widely regarded as one of the most complete edge rushers in the NFL and arrives with the physical tools, pass rush technique and competitive drive to anchor a defense capable of affecting playoff outcomes.
Adding Donald, even in a part-time capacity, would transform that ceiling further. The Rams have a history of making bold roster moves when they believe a championship window is open, and the circumstances surrounding this offseason feel consistent with that organizational philosophy.
Garrett said he is not going to push. He also made clear that he is paying attention, and that a positive answer from Donald is one he is quietly hoping for.
