Rams fans can finally stop wondering who deserves credit for Aaron Donald’s shocking return. Apparently, the answer is not the Rams.
It is his wife, Erica Donald.
After Donald officially announced his return to Los Angeles on Sunday, Erica had her own explanation for how he suddenly went from retired superstar to football menace again.
And honestly, her explanation sounds like something every wife has said at least once.
According to Erica, she may have had something to do with it.
That means Rams fans should probably send her a thank-you card.
“I let him out the house y’all 🤣💙🫶🏾,” Erica wrote on X.
The joke completed quite a turnaround for someone who appeared to be enjoying having her husband home — and spent much of the offseason having fun with fans trying to drag him back to work.
When Donald walked away from the Rams in March 2024, Erica celebrated the decision on Instagram and the family time that came with it.
“I am beyond proud of you,” she wrote, praising Donald as a husband and father before adding, “Cheers to the next chapter.”
That next chapter looked awfully comfortable by the opening Sunday of the 2024 NFL season.
Erica posted a video of Donald asleep on the couch with football playing on television behind him. Laughing, she asked her husband whether he planned to return as he remained completely unresponsive.
“I hope that answers your question,” she eventually told viewers, “‘cuz he is not.”
It was a pretty convincing retirement announcement: Instead of fighting through double teams on Sundays, Donald was sleeping through them.
Rams fans are thrilled, opposing offensive linemen are probably updating their resumes.
Donald, 35, is returning on a one-year, $20 million contract that can reach $30 million through playoff incentives after spending two seasons away from football. He’ll join Garrett on a Rams defensive front built for a Super Bowl run.
That is quite a reversal for a player who explained after retiring that he felt “full” and “complete” after 10 seasons, 111 sacks, eight first-team All-Pro selections, three Defensive Player of the Year awards and a Super Bowl championship.
If Erica can convince Aaron Donald to end a two-year retirement, she might be the most powerful person in Los Angeles football.
For now, Rams fans can celebrate!
