Rams news: Aaron Donald sounds off on wife's role in stunning NFL comeback

For months, Aaron Donald teased his comeback with the Los Angeles Rams after retiring in 2024. Fans incessantly urged him to return, especially after the Rams acquired Myles Garrett in a trade with the Cleveland Browns in June.

They got their wish. On Sunday, Donald signed a one-year, $20 million contract with the Rams. In his announcement, he referenced Michael Jordan's famous two-word statement when the latter returned to the NBA in 1995: "I'm back."

But before getting the nod from the Rams, he asked the person at the very top of the hierarchy: His wife, Erica Donald. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year said he had long conversations with her, who was fully supportive .

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"I think my wife played a huge part in this, me making this decision period because if the wife wasn't happy, it wasn't going to get done right," said Donald in his media conference.

"You got to make sure that the household was good, the kid was okay with it all. Having those hard conversations, figuring things out, what I wanted to do if I was told to do it, how would we do it. My wife was on board. She said, if you want to do this, she's with me 100%."

As they say, behind every successful man is a woman.

Donald will play in his 11th season. He walked away in 2024 to focus more on his family, adding that he had nothing else to prove in the NFL. He helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in 2022. He is an eight-time All-Pro First Team member and a 10-time Pro Bowler.

He and Garrett will form a lethal one-two defensive punch, although Donald will have to get his feet under him after a long hiatus.

The Rams will face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1.