Add The California Post on Google Thirty-one NFL teams are lamenting Aaron Donald coming out of retirement to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams. But no team has a more immediate reason to worry than the San Francisco 49ers.
This is because these two NFC West rivals are facing each other in Australia on Sept. 10. 49ers GM John Lynch didn’t mince words about his reaction to hearing the Donald news, which he conveyed during an appearance on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus” show.
“[I was] probably about as startled as other teams were when we traded for Christian McCaffrey, and for Trent Williams,” Lynch said when asked whether he was surprised by the timing of Donald’s return.
Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald during practice at the Rams Practice Facility on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in Woodland Hills, California. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch on the field before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect “It looks like [Donald] is raring and ready to go, and that will create quite a challenge. They’re a very good football team, they’re very well-constructed. And our battles with them have always been great; they’ve clearly made themselves a better team this offseason. And so the challenge gets even bigger, but we’re excited for that,” Lynch added.
There’s already concern that the 49ers didn’t do enough to improve their offensive line this offseason. And that could be exposed quickly, with Donald now joining forces with Myles Garrett on the Rams’ defensive line.
Perhaps it’s good that San Francisco faces this “challenge” in the regular season’s first week, when Donald might not be as his peak. Perhaps not.
