Add The California Post on Google It’s always something with Aaron Donald.
For months, the question hovering over the Rams was whether the greatest defensive player in franchise history would actually come out of retirement.
So naturally, before Donald could even get comfortable wearing No. 99 again, everybody immediately moved on to the next pressing question:
The California Post met with Donald’s former teammate of five seasons, running back Todd Gurley, for an exclusive interview, and the former NFL Offensive Player of the Year could only laugh at the frivolity of it all.
“It’s always something, right?” Gurley told The Post during DraftKings Gameday, in which they gave away free gas to Angelenos on Wednesday. “First it’s, ‘Is he coming back?’ Then he comes back, and now we’re like, ‘Is he going to play?’”
But here’s the interesting part. Gurley thinks he will.
“I think he will play. But I think it may be somewhat limited,” Gurley said. “I think they’ll slowly ramp him back up. But I hope he plays, man, mostly for the international crowd. You have a lot of people over there.”
Donald announced on Sunday that he was ending his two-year retirement and returning to the Rams for the upcoming 2026 season. Eleven days later, Los Angeles opens its campaign against the 49ers on Sept. 10 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia.
That quick turnaround has created understandable skepticism.
Many NFL analysts believe that it’s unlikely Donald plays in Australia considering such a short football ramp-up. Some league observers think Week 2 or even Week 3 would make considerably more sense for both teams.
Sean McVay said both situations are possible. The Rams coach said this week the team will take Donald’s comeback “one day at a time,” first getting him reacclimated to practice, teammates and the demands of football before determining whether it makes sense for him to travel and play in Australia.
And frankly, the Rams always err on the side of caution, and that would be understandable in this instance, too.
The Rams did not bring Donald out of retirement because they desperately need him in September. They brought him back because they hope to still be playing deep into January — and perhaps February — when the Lombardi Trophy will be awarded inside their stadium.
Then again, Donald has never operated according to normal expectations.
And Gurley knows that better than most people.
The former Rams running back spent five seasons alongside Donald, remains close with McVay, the organization and former teammates, and understands the internal wiring of a player who collected three Defensive Player of the Year awards before walking away while he could still wreck an NFL game.
“I think he has re-sparked that fire back in him,” Gurley said, “and he’s going to go out there and dominate.”
That’s a strong endorsement from Gurley, but whether that ultimately means Donald boards the plane, steps onto the field in Melbourne and lines up across from the 49ers’ offense remains the question everyone will chase until then.
“I haven’t seen anyone do it and be able to dominate,” Gurley said of Donald taking two years off before returning to the NFL. “But if there is someone that can come back and do it and dominate, why wouldn’t it be the three-time Defensive Player of the Year alongside a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett?”
That is the terrifying part for the rest of the NFL.
Donald does not need to come back and carry the Rams’ defense. He is joining one already loaded with Garrett, Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner and Byron Young.
And unlike the younger Donald chasing championships, contracts and history, Gurley sees a 35-year-old legend returning with something potentially more dangerous: freedom.
“There’s really no pressure for him,” Gurley said. “He’s accomplished everything that he’s been able to do.”
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