Is Aaron Donald playing today for LA Rams vs NY Giants on MNF in 2026 NFL Week 2?

Aaron Donald made one of the biggest decisions of the offseason, coming out of retirement to put the helmet back on. Will he make his return wearing No. 99 on Monday Night Football between the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants? Everything points to him doing so.

“I’ve been holding up good, feeling good,” Donald said to the press on Sept. 18. “Back-to-back days this week, so I’m feeling like myself. It’s been a great week.” The Rams’ prodigy also has Sean McVay’s backing: “If he said it, he’s going. Whatever Aaron says, I support.”

SoFi Stadium is gearing up for a historic night, as the fans in Inglewood will once again witness one of the greatest players in NFL history at his position. That said, the occasion cannot distract the Rams from the task at hand: securing a win against the Giants, as they will not want to start the season 0-2.

Donald’s last time on the field

Aaron Donald officially played his last NFL game before hanging up his cleats on January 14, 2024, in the Wild Card playoff loss against the Detroit Lions. Though he briefly stepped away from football after that game, he left at that time one of the most dominant resumes in league history: a Super Bowl LVI champion, a 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 8-time First-team All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler, and the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams

On top of capping off 111.0 career sacks and 24 forced fumbles as an interior defensive lineman, he was also named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, cementing his status as an absolute first-ballot Hall of Famer.

See also

Puka Nacua injury update: What’s WR status for Rams vs NY Giants in Week 2 of 2026 NFL season?

Rams-Giants latest showdown

The last official matchup between the Rams and the Giants went down on New Year’s Eve in 2023, and it was an absolute nail-biter. The Rams barely squeaked by with a 26-25 victory at MetLife Stadium, mostly thanks to Kyren Williams shredding New York’s defense for three touchdowns and Matthew Stafford throwing for over 300 yards.

The Giants actually had a chance to steal it late after a wild 80-yard punt return touchdown by Gunner Olszewski, but they missed the two-point conversion and a last-second field goal attempt, letting LA lock up a playoff spot in dramatic fashion.