Brockers Says Donald Is "Staying Ready" as Rams Add Garrett
Days after the Los Angeles Rams completed a blockbuster trade to acquire defensive end Myles Garrett, former Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers has suggested that three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald may be weighing a return from retirement. Brockers, who played alongside Donald for six seasons in Los Angeles, said on the "Locked On Rams Squad Show" that Donald has been maintaining his conditioning. "My guy is staying ready so he doesn't have to get ready," Brockers said, adding that he possesses "some knowledge that others might not have."
Donald, 33 when he retired following the 2023 NFL season, reinforced speculation with an Instagram post featuring workout footage captioned with the hashtag "#ready." Donald spent his entire 11-season career with the Rams, earning Pro Bowl selections in all 10 of his active seasons, winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2014, and claiming the league's Defensive Player of the Year honor three times. Across 154 career regular-season games, he recorded 543 tackles, 111 sacks, and 24 forced fumbles.
Garrett, 30, arrives from the Cleveland Browns, where he spent nine seasons and established himself as one of the premier pass-rushers in the league. He has been named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in two of the past three seasons and has posted 125.5 career sacks across 134 games, along with 412 tackles and 23 forced fumbles. The draft states he set an NFL record with 23 sacks in a single season last year. The Rams are familiar with assembling elite defensive fronts: their Super Bowl LVI championship in the 2021 season was anchored by a defensive line featuring Donald, Von Miller, Leonard Floyd, A'Shawn Robinson, and Greg Gaines.
No official confirmation from Donald, his representatives, or the Rams organization has been reported. Should Donald elect to return, the Rams would hold a defensive line pairing with a combined career sack total exceeding 236, a prospect that would substantially alter the calculus for opposing offensive game-planners heading into the 2025 season.
