The Los Angeles Rams’ win over the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to the Green Bay Packers moved the teams into a tie for first place in the NFC West with three games remaining on the regular-season schedule.
The Rams’ ascension to playoff contention has some wondering if future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald would consider coming out of retirement to join the team for the stretch run.
As fun as it is to think about that idea, Donald could not unretire this season even if he wanted to.
This is due to the NFL rule that players on the reserve/retired list are not eligible to return after Week 12. If Donald wanted to rejoin the Rams this year, he would have needed to do so by the final business day of Week 13.
Technically speaking, there is still a way for Donald to play on the Rams this season. The team would need to release and re-sign him to a new contract. However, Donald would have to pass through waivers and it is highly likely that another team would claim him. He could let teams know that he would refuse to play for them if claimed, but that would be the only way for him to play for L.A.
Regardless, Sean McVay said he has not reached out to Donald, per Gary Klein of the L.A. Times:
McVay on possible Aaron Donald return: "I would almost feel disrespectful reaching out to him, just based on the principles and knowing him the way that I do. If that was something that he got interested in, then that would obviously be something that you’re always open to."
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) December 16, 2024
Donald’s current contract runs through the 2024 season, after which he will become a free agent. If Donald decides to make a comeback next year, L.A. could easily work out a new deal with him.
The likelihood of that happening does not appear to be great though as Donald has been enjoying retirement.
Donald’s situation is different from when Eric Weddle came out of retirement to help the Rams win Super Bowl LVI in 2022. Weddle was not under contract with the Rams at the time, which is why he was able to join the team for the playoffs.
Rams’ Nick Hampton suffered season-ending injury against 49ers
While the Rams pulled out an important win over the 49ers, it came at a loss as outside linebacker Nick Hampton sustained a season-ending pectoral injury.
“Yeah, typical bumps and bruises. Unfortunately, Nick Hampton tore his ‘pec’ [pectoral], so that’ll require season-ending surgery,” head coach Sean McVay said after the game.
“He’s done a really good job for us, been a major contributor on special teams and has been a very reliable player if he’s had to come in as an outside [line] backer. That’s a bummer for Nick but he’ll attack his rehab and be back stronger next year. That was the only one that we got.”
Hampton hasn’t played much on defense this season, but was an important contributor on special teams as he saw 61% of the snaps.
