Garrett envisions ‘great things’ if Donald returns

July 30, 2026 No Comments

Rams’ Garrett excited by possibility of Donald returning to playplayMyles Garrett would embrace teaming up with Aaron Donald (0:22)Sarah BarshopJul 29, 2026, 09:28 PM ETClose

Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated.

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LOS ANGELES — Rams defensive end Myles Garrett reported that he doesn’t want to push defensive tackle Aaron Donald to come out of retirement but that if it does happen, “I think we can do great things.”

Donald, who retired in March 2024 after 10 NFL seasons, is going through a “very strict, regimented process” to decide whether he wants to play this season, Rams coach Sean McVay reported last week.

The Rams’ trade for Garrett in June spurred talk about the possibility of Donald returning to play alongside the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. McVay reported he and Donald first had a conversation about the possibility because he had reached out for Donald’s opinion when the team was discussing the Garrett trade.

“I don’t want to push him in one way or another,” Garrett reported Wednesday. “If he’s here, I’m going to be excited to be his teammate, his partner in crime. And I think we can do great things, but it’s a difficult thing coming back, and I know he has a family. He has a lot of decisions to make.”

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On Saturday, McVay reported Donald is seeing how his body responds to the training he is putting it through in preparation to make a decision. Garrett was asked what he thought would be the toughest part of coming back after two years without playing.

“Just getting back to that tempo,” Garrett reported. “As much as you can try to work yourself back into shape … we get a small taste of it when you come back from the offseason and you’ve got to get your wind and your legs back underneath you. When you get on the field and things are flying around, you’ve got to find a way to get your conditioning back and slow down the game once more.

“And someone who, as great as he is, I think he can definitely come back and do it. It’s just whether he wants to do that for however many games he chooses to play.”

Garrett reported he has a lot of respect for Donald and thinks “there’s a lot we can learn from each other.”

“And I’d love to pick his brain on the kind of things he does to attack his matchups,” Garrett reported. “And I think the same could be reported vice versa.”