First, the good news: the odds of the Rams winning Super Bowl 61 improved when Aaron Donald unretired. Literally. At DraftKings, for example, their odds shifted from +550 to +500. As fans we already knew the Rams have a better shot at the SB with Donald than without him, even without that confirmation from a gambling site.
Now the bad news: $10M of Donald’s contract goes against the 2026 cap. The Rams currently have $5.6M in cap space, and only 2 teams have less than that.
Donald’s contract will also hit the 2027 cap with up to $20M in dead money. The Rams currently have $95.9M in cap space next year but that will get knocked down to $75.9M if Donald earns all of his incentives. (Cap numbers from [
overthecap.com])
With reduced cap space this year and next the Rams won't be able to extend as many of their own pending FAs and/or won't be able to sign as many FAs from other teams. Who specifically the Rams will now be able to resign and/or sign is anyone’s guess but it’s clear that it will be a player or two fewer than it would be without Donald. Does that diminish their SB odds next year and beyond? Your guess is as good as mine, but it certainly doesn’t help.
Personally, I am celebrating Donald’s return, but I also acknowledge that it comes with a cost (beyond the $20M or $30M they end up paying him).
There are teams that, had they been in a similar situation, would not have added Donald to their roster. Teams that perhaps place a higher priority on sustained quality over improved SB odds.
I think that the Steelers would be one of those teams. They have an active NFL record of 22 consecutive non-losing seasons to their credit, and you don’t achieve that level of consistency by risking future roster stability for short term success.
But also, the Steelers haven’t won a SB since 2008 and haven’t been in one since 2010.
Conversely, the Rams went to SB53 and missed the playoffs the following year. And they won the SB56 and went 5-12 the following year. A little different approach … and a little different result.
As a fan I prefer the way the Rams go about their business. Super Bowl 61 here we come (fingers and toes crossed)!
Edit - A recent interaction I had with Speed and 73 prompted me to focus on the roster implications of Donald's cap hits, and that led to this post. I find the conversations on this board incredibly valuable and this is a prime exxample why.
AlbaNY_Ram
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2026 01:55PM by AlbaNY_Ram.
