The Los Angeles Rams are already the first team in NFL history to have the reigning NFL MVP (QB Matthew Stafford) and Defensive Player of the Year (DE Myles Garrett) on the same roster.
With the return of defensive lineman and future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald now official, things have entered another realm of crazy.
The Rams are also now the first team in NFL history to have two players on the same defense with multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards. The idea of pairing up Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett is something that previously could only exist in Madden video games, but it's now the reality the Rams -- and all of their 2026 opponents -- are living in.
So what makes this deal even more unprecedented than expected? The price tag. Aaron Donald is not returning to the Rams for the vibes. He's not there to simply fit onto the roster, take a hometown discount, and help these guys out. This was a substantial investment with the Rams giving Donald a whopping $20 million to come out of retirement, and a one-year deal that could reach up to $30 million in incentives.
Los Angeles Rams giving Aaron Donald a ton of money to come out of retirement
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 30, 2026
Donald has not played an NFL game since the 2023 season. His final game with the team was in January of 2024.
Of course, Donald has stayed in phenomenal shape, but he has gone on record as saying that he's spent the past 12-13 weeks getting his body ready for the rigors of the NFL, testing himself to see if he can be in game shape for the Rams, while also remaining durable.
The Rams clearly feel like that's a realistic possibility, because the idea of paying Donald $30 million this upcoming season would put him in very rare air. In the history of the NFL, only five defensive linemen have had an average value of $30 million on their contracts, and all of them signed deals -- resetting the market one by one -- during the 2026 offseason.
That means the Rams are paying Donald top of the market money to come out of retirement.
That speaks to Donald's pedigree, of course, but also the Rams' faith that he can play at a high level.
Even if Donald doesn't reach any of those incentives, getting paid $20 million this year would put him in the top 20 among all NFL defensive tackles.
It's a stunning financial investment for a player that hasn't been in the league since the 2023 season. There are very few players who are out of the league mutliple years that can even get offers from NFL teams. We may be seeing the first move of its kind in NFL history, and quite possibly the only one as well.
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