The Rams haven't made a final decision on Aaron Donald's availability for Thursday's season opener against the 49ers, but San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan expects the defensive tackle to play.

"Oh yeah, definitely," Shanahan said when asked if Donald, who came out of retirement last week, would suit up. Shanahan joked he wasn't surprised by the announcement because he "decided a month ago it was happening" and had prepared accordingly.

Donald returned to practice Sunday in Los Angeles. Rams coach Sean McVay said the team is "truly taking it a day at a time" regarding Donald's debut after coming out of retirement. McVay has declined to set a timeline for the future Hall of Famer's return.

Shanahan recalled hearing cheers at the 49ers facility when Donald initially retired in March 2024, not understanding why until he saw the retirement announcement. "It was probably the most we've celebrated in the offseason ever," he said. "And then it was the exact opposite this year."

In 18 career regular-season games against San Francisco, Donald has recorded 12.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Christian McCaffrey called Donald "somebody you've definitely gotta plan for" and "a force, man."