It sure seems the budding rumors surrounding future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald coming out of retirement and rejoining his Los Angeles Rams squad are closer to coming true than they aren't.
And not only is that a nightmare scenario for the rest of the NFC West, it's especially worrisome for the San Francisco 49ers, who now not only need to be concerned about facing the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett, but potentially also going up against Donald again—the two teams scheduled to square off in Week 1 in Melbourne, Australia.
Granted, nothing is certain until it's, well... certain. And even though Donald himself has dropped hints about getting back on the field after vacating it following the 2023 season, there are still hurdles in place.
Including one the Niners can hope ultimately keeps the two sides far apart.
49ers can hope Rams' cap space gets in the way of Aaron Donald reunion
According to Over the Cap, L.A. has just under $19 million in available cap space. And it has yet to officially sign its top pick from last April's NFL Draft, quarterback Ty Simpson, who'll ultimately earn a four-year deal worth $25.4 million, plus the fifth-year option, ultimately cutting into Los Angeles' remaining cap space.
Donald's last contract paid him an annual average of just over $30 million per year, so it's not hard to see how the financials won't immediately line up.
Indeed, ESPN's Adam Schefter recently commented on the potential hang-up, saying, "I remember speaking to the Rams. Like, this is very difficult financially."
But Schefter also added how all 32 teams across the league are fully aware on how to tweak cap space via extensions, restructures and whatnot to ultimately fit Donald's would-be demands under the cap.
San Francisco has been an expert in this department, so it fully understands the Rams won't have any major issues trying to squeeze in Donald's ask, whatever it is.
Still, the 49ers can hope the two rival parties are far, far apart in negotiations, ultimately leading to a dreaded reunion never taking place.
It doesn't seem likely that'll happen, though, unfortunately.
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