Aaron Donald says he plans to make 2026 debut in Rams' MNF game vs. Giants

It looks like Aaron Donald 's two-year retirement is officially ending on Monday.

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year told reporters on Friday that he intends to play in the Los Angeles Rams ' "Monday Night Football" game against the New York Giants in Week 2, via the team :

"That's the plan. Two practices today, have another practice tomorrow and then we'll see, but feeling good."

The last game Donald played was the Rams' wild-card round loss to the Detroit Lions on Jan. 14, 2024. He appeared happy in what turned out to be his first retirement, but rumblings of a return came soon after the Rams' blockbuster trade for star pass-rusher Myles Garrett .

Donald slowly deliberated over a return, with the Rams providing sporadic updates as he went through the motions of figuring out whether he was ready to play in the NFL again. The answer finally came on Aug. 30, with Donald signing a one-year, $20 million deal to play for the Rams again .

That return came too late for Donald to play in the Rams' season-opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, a 27-7 blowout loss . That also represented Donald's first chance to play alongside Garrett, who was invisible in Week 1 then underwent knee surgery.

Garrett is now on injured reserve and will be out for at least four weeks. Via The Athletic's Nate Atkins , Donald hopes to keep things together until he comes back:

"I think we've got a great defense, a great team, a lot of great pieces. Obviously, I would love for him to be out there, but he won't be gone forever. ... Hold it down while he's gone."

Even with an extended layoff, expectations will be high for Donald, just as they've been for the entire Rams team that entered this season as the Super Bowl favorite. At 35 years old, Donald might occupy a different role than the one he had in his prime, but we know one thing for sure: it will be worth watching.

The Rams are scheduled to kick off against the Giants at 5:15 p.m. PT on Monday.