Aaron Donald's timeline to return to Rams could extend into regular season

The Los Angeles Rams traded for Myles Garrett in the middle of the offseason, acquiring one of the best defensive players of the last decade.

Such a massive blockbuster got the attention of another one of the best defensive players of the last decade, as Aaron Donald has now pondered coming out of retirement. For the Rams, that would be a very welcome development.

But, according to ESPN's Sarah Bishop, the Rams might have to wait for a while, as Donald might postpone coming out of retirement to join the Rams until partway through the 2026 NFL season.

Rams might not get Aaron Donald back until mid-season

"Even if Donald does not decide to come back before the start of -- or during -- training camp, it wouldn't be a surprise for him to unretire at some point during the 2026 season," Bishop writes.

Donald could decide to come out of retirement for the Rams this season, but instead of doing so during training camp, he might wait until partway through the 2026 season.

If the Rams are in great shape and look to be en route to a Super Bowl, Donald might have more incentive to come out of retirement and help take them over the top.

MORE: Rams urged to trade for Patriots’ DeMario Douglas to fix WR3 problem

Instead of getting Donald right from the start of the season, he could decide to act as a trade deadline pickup, coming out of retirement partway through the regular season.

Obviously, there's still time for Donald to come back before the season gets underway. But, it's possible that Donald decides to unretire mid-season instead.

Regardless of the timing of such a decision, the Rams would welcome Donald back with open arms. The future Hall of Famer has a real chance of coming out of retirement for a Super Bowl push, but the Rams and their fans might have to be a bit patient.

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