The San Francisco 49ers still don't know whether they'll have to face defensive tackle Aaron Donald in Week 1. That didn't change Friday when Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay provided an update to reporters.
The 49ers arrived in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday (Friday morning local time), ahead of their September 10 (September 11 locally) showdown with the Rams at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Donald recently put his retirement on hold to rejoin his former team, but it's unclear whether he's up to speed enough to play significant snaps—or any snaps at all—against the 49ers.
According to Benjamin Royer of the Orange County Register, McVay said he expects all of his players to travel to Melbourne next week, including Donald. However, the Rams head coach admitted that he "doesn't have that sense quite yet" regarding whether the defensive lineman will actually play in the game.
Sean McVay said he expects all Rams players to travel to Melbourne for Week 1 vs. 49ers.
Still TBD on Aaron Donald playing in the opener — McVay said he "doesn't have that sense quite yet."
— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) September 4, 2026
Donald retired after the 2023 season following 10 NFL seasons. He finished his career with 111 sacks and established himself as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history.
The 49ers would undoubtedly be grateful if they didn't have to face the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year when they open their regular season against the Rams in Australia.
"He's an exceptional player, one of the greats," general manager John Lynch recently said of Donald. "I do subscribe to that. I think we're pretty good too. They got better, certainly, with him deciding to come out of retirement. Now, there's time away, but I know that guy trains like a bad man.
"I ran into him in a hotel somewhere a while back, and we had some fun chatter back and forth. Never thought he'd do it, but he's doing it. And so, we'd better get ready for it."
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