Aaron Donald out for Rams' opener against 49ers in Australia

Australia hosts the NFL's first regular-season game.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated Sep 81 min read

Breaking: Rams DT Aaron Donald will not travel to Australia for Thursday night’s opener against the 49ers and will be in Via @espn on X

What happened: Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport said Los Angeles wants to give Aaron Donald more time to ramp up after two seasons in retirement. Donald agreed to return Aug. 30, nine days before Tuesday's status decision.

Why it matters: The 49ers avoid facing Los Angeles' career sacks leader in a divisional opener. His one-year, $20 million contract can reach $30 million through playoff incentives.

By the numbers: Donald recorded 111 sacks, 176 tackles for loss and 24 forced fumbles over his first 10 NFL seasons. He earned three AP Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight first-team All-Pro selections and 10 Pro Bowl berths.

What to watch: The next checkpoint is whether Donald returns for the Rams' second game of the season.

Sources

@espn 2026-09-08T20:03:33.801125+00:00

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