Aaron Donald's return from retirement and Rams' MCG season opener against 49ers
Consensus Summary
Aaron Donald, a 35-year-old three-time defensive player of the year and eight-time-first team All-Pro, is returning from retirement after leaving the game in 2024. Both ABC and 7NEWS confirm he rejoined the Rams in August but differ on the exact duration of his absence, with ABC stating two seasons and 7NEWS stating two and a half years. Donald will miss the Rams' NFL season opener against the San Francisco 49ers at the MCG on Friday morning, with both sources agreeing on this decision. The game marks the first international NFL match in Australia, with the Rams flying in just one day before the game while the 49ers have been in Australia for a week. Donald's return to game shape has been gradual, and while he expressed optimism about his progress, coach Sean McVay decided against rushing him back for the opener. The Rams have prepared extensively for the game, with McVay expressing confidence in the team's ability to perform without Donald, including players like Myles Garrett and Puka Nacua, who are expected to play despite recent injuries.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Aaron Donald is a 35-year-old player
- Donald rejoined the Rams in August after two seasons away from the team
- Donald is a three-time defensive player of the year
- Donald is an eight-time-first team All-Pro
- The Rams-49ers game is scheduled for Friday morning in Melbourne
- The game will be played at the MCG
- Donald came out of retirement last month
- Donald ended his retirement in 2026 after leaving the game in 2024
- The Rams are flying to Australia one day before the game
- The game is the Rams' NFL season opener against the 49ers
- Donald will not play in the season opener at the MCG
- The Rams have been preparing for the game in Woodland Hills before flying to Australia
- The game is being played Friday morning in Melbourne and Thursday night in the US
- The Rams are playing in Week 1 of the NFL season
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Donald is coming out of retirement in 2026 after leaving the game back in 2024
- Donald has been working his way back into game shape after two seasons away from the team
- The Rams have live blog coverage of the game starting at 10:30am AEST
- Donald has a 16-hour flight ahead of the game at 10:35am on Friday
- Donald was earlier coy on his playing status after a scheduled day off from practice
- The Rams have spent previous seasons developing their defence for a future without Donald
- Donald said he has been pleased with how his body is responding to his return to football
- Donald mentioned he thought he'd be a lot more rusty than he was
- McVay said his trust in the group of five, six guys to perform at a high level factored into the call to not rush Donald back
- Donald rejoined the Rams after two and a half years away
- Donald ended his retirement last weekend
- McVay announced his plans on Saturday AEST for the Rams while they began preparations in LA
- The Rams were initially equivocal on whether Donald would make the long trip for the game
- Donald has made significant progress in his return to game shape
- McVay said the Rams still haven’t decided whether Donald will play at the MCG alongside Myles Garrett
- The Rams are completing their full week of preparation for the 49ers at their training complex in Woodland Hills
- The Rams are flying to Australia less than 48 hours before the game
- San Francisco took the near-opposite approach, flying to Australia earlier this week
- McVay believes in the Rams’ approach to international games, honed in previous years on trips to London and Mexico City
- Myles Garrett is expected to play in Melbourne despite missing more than a dozen training camp workouts
- All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua is also expected to play after making significant progress in his return from a core muscle injury incurred three weeks ago
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- ABC says Donald has been away from the team for two seasons, but 7NEWS says he has been away for two and a half years
- ABC says Donald came out of retirement last month, but 7NEWS says he ended his retirement last weekend
- ABC says Donald is coming out of retirement in 2026 after leaving the game in 2024, but 7NEWS does not specify the exact duration of his retirement
Source Articles
Returning Rams superstar to miss MCG NFL clash with 49ers
After two years in the wilderness, LA Rams defensive superstar Aaron Donald's return will be delayed a few more weeks as he opts not to travel to Australia for the season opener against the 49ers.
Full Rams roster coming to MCG amid comeback star doubt
‘I don’t have that sense quite yet.’
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