Aaron Donald is back. The future Hall of Fame defensive lineman, who initially retired in March 2024 after 10 NFL seasons, has announced his return to the Los Angeles Rams after spending two seasons in retirement. The move came after the Rams traded for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in June and pairs the top two players in the NFL in tackles since 2015. The Rams are the only team to enter the season with multiple players who won multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, according to ESPN Research. Donald returns on a one-year, $20 million deal that with incentives could be worth up to $30 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport. Donald joins an already star-studded defense that, in addition to Garrett, includes cornerbacks Trent Mc Duffie and Jaylen Watson, outside linebacker Byron Young and defensive tackle Kobie Turner. The Rams were already the Super Bowl favorites at Draft Kings Sportsbook before Donald's return.

What does Donald's return mean for Garrett and the rest of the Rams' defense? When they are on the field together, Donald and Garrett will force opposing offenses to make a tough decision. According to ESPN Analytics/NFL Next Gen Stats, the pair are Nos. 1 and 2 in pass rush wins since 2017, which was Garrett's rookie season. Despite not playing over the past two seasons, Donald still holds the No. 2 spot, even though he was double-teamed on the fourth-most pass rush plays in the NFL since 2017. His 276 pass rush wins against double-teams are still by far the most in the league since 2017. Garrett has been double-teamed on the second-most pass rush plays specifically among edge rushers since 2017, trailing only Denico Autry. Garrett and Donald's pass rush win rate also impacts the entire defense. According to ESPN Analytics/NFL Next Gen Stats, Garrett has created 244 incompletions from pass rush wins in his career, the most in the NFL since 2017. Donald ranks third in that category.

What will Donald's workload look like? While Rams coach Sean Mc Vay had been clear that if Donald unretires he will want to be "all-in," it seems unlikely that he will return to playing a high percentage of snaps in his return. Donald would likely be in spots in which he could be the most impactful, perhaps playing 20-25 snaps a game on mostly pass-rushing downs. What are the challenges of unretiring after two seasons? Garrett said he thought the hardest part would be "getting back to that tempo." The defensive end said it's a challenge just trying to get back into football shape when he returns from the offseason, working to get his wind and legs back.