6 NFL Players We'd Love to See Come Out of Retirement amid Aaron Donald Buzz

We're in the quiet period of the NFL summer that precedes training camp. While it seems like the NFL is finished dropping offseason bombshells, it's important to remember that the league is full of surprises.

In fact, one surprising return might just be imminent. In the wake of the Los Angeles Rams' acquisition of Myles Garrett, retired superstar Aaron Donald has fueled speculation that he could unretire with social media interactions and comments.

"It for sure got me thinking," Donald told Pat McAfee of ESPN.

We'd certainly love to see Donald back on the playing field, especially alongside Garrett, and he isn't the only former NFL star who likely has a little something left in the proverbial tank.

Let's take a look at Donald and five other retired NFL players who could help a team in 2026 and who we'd truly enjoy seeing back in the game.

QB Derek Carr

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

No, you're not going to find Tom Brady on our list. He's a minority owner with the Las Vegas Raiders, and while he has inquired about making a return, he was essentially told no.

"They don't like that idea very much," Brady told CNBC in March.

However, we could conceivably see a different retired quarterback come out of retirement for the right situation this season.

Derek Carr decided to retire last May after learning that a shoulder injury would require season-ending surgery. However, he hasn't entirely ruled out a possible return.

"Never say never," Carr told The Dan Patrick Show (h/t Tarohn Finley of Yahoo Sports).

Now, Carr's situation is a bit tricky because the New Orleans Saints still hold his rights. However, a courtesy trade or release could allow him to go to a different team that needs a quarterback. Honestly, we'd love to see it.

While Carr has never been an elite signal-caller, he's a four-time Pro Bowler who only turned 35 in March. There aren't enough good quarterbacks to go around in the NFL, especially when injuries are involved—as evidenced by Philip Rivers' 2025 return.

Carr's return would at least deepen the quarterback pool for the coming season.

LB Lavonte David

AP Photo/Gary McCullough

Longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David retired in March, bringing an end to a stellar 14-year career that he spent with just one organization.

While the 36-year-old has only been retired for a few months, it's not too soon to wonder if he called it a career too early.

We'd certainly sign up for another season of David doing what he does best—a bit of everything.

David has just one Pro Bowl and one first-team All-Pro nod on his resume, but he's regularly been among the league's more productive linebackers, and he's always been a joy to watch. He's clearly still capable, too, as he started all 17 games for the Bucs this past season.

In 2025, David racked up 114 tackles, 3.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, and an interception.

Admittedly, it's hard to envision David returning to play for a team other than Tampa, but the Buccaneers would likely welcome his leadership. Of course, he could consider a late run with another franchise, as longtime teammate Mike Evans did when joining the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.

Should a playoff contender find itself in need of linebacker help in-season, don't be surprised if David gets a few calls to see if he's truly done.

DT Aaron Donald

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

According to some around the league, Aaron Donald's return isn't just possible, it's expected.

According to SportsBoom's Jason Las Canfora, the NFL is "widely anticipating" his return:

"What began as speculation and then became very well-informed buzz is now being viewed as close to a done deal, with Donald wanting to play with Myles Garrett, whom the Rams acquired this offseason, and telling even more people within the Rams organization of how hard he is leaning into ending his retirement."

Whether Donald's return is truly imminent or not, we would love to see him back with the Rams.

Few defenders have been as entertaining to watch as the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, who was a Pro Bowler in every one of his 10 seasons with the Rams. Garrett—who is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and the new single-season sack record-holder—might come close, though.

The prospect of seeing the two play side-by-side for a legitimate contender like Los Angeles is a defensive fan's fever dream.

Would Donald be the same game-wrecker he was a couple of years ago, following a two-year layoff? Perhaps not, but he was a first-team All-Pro then, and he's still only 35. It's hard to imagine he wouldn't still be effective with Garrett regularly commanding double teams on the edge.

With Donald and Garrett on the same defensive line, L.A. might be able to chase the Super Bowl and the record books.

The 1984 Chicago Bears still hold the single-season team sack record with 72. While that's a record that would be hard to break, even with Garrett and Donald together, the Rams defense might have a chance.

Edge Za'Darius Smith

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

In a surprise move, edge-rusher Za'Darius Smith announced his retirement in the middle of the 2025 season. He had signed with the Philadelphia Eagles just before the start of the regular season and appeared in five games before walking away.

Perhaps unhappy with his role in Philadelphia, the three-time Pro Bowler called it a career at just 33 years old.

The caveat here is that Smith is essentially a free agent. The Eagles released him from the reserve/retired list just last month, meaning he could unretire and sign with any team he chooses.

While a few edge-rushers remain available as free agents—including Jadeveon Clowney, Von Miller and Joey Bosa—we would love to see Smith become an option for a contender.

The main reason is the fact that Smith can likely still play at a pretty high level. He recorded 1.5 sacks and five QB pressures in limited action. The previous year, he recorded nine sacks and 25 QB pressures while splitting time between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions.

Smith may no longer be a Pro Bowler, but he could make an impact as a rotational rusher. When there clearly aren't enough pass-rushers to go around—the San Francisco 49ers were a playoff team with just 20 sacks last season—we'd rather see a player like Smith in a lineup than in retirement.

S Justin Simmons

AP Photo/Bart Young

Safety Justin Simmons never landed with a team in 2025 and officially announced his retirement as a member of the Denver Broncos. While Simmons clearly embraced his time in Denver, he did admit that the continual losing wasn't always fun.

"It was a hard eight years," Simmons said, per ESPN's Jeff Legwold. "… It hurt not to be able to [make the playoffs]. I was a safety, there's only so much I can control, but I just felt like there was a lot asked and I feel like I fell short."

Simmons was regularly among the league's top safeties during his time with the Broncos. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and led the NFL in interceptions with six in 2022. He was also productive in 2024 with the Atlanta Falcons.

In what proved to be his last campaign, he tallied 62 tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions while making 16 starts.

Still just 32 years old, it's hard to imagine that Simmons couldn't still play a pivotal role in a defense. After a year's layoff, he might need some time to get up to speed, but he could probably be a starting-caliber option in the right situation.

Seeing Simmons back with the Broncos would be ideal, since the current squad could provide the Super Bowl pursuit that eluded him. It would be great to see him latch on with just about any contender and get to finally experience playoff football.

Edge J.J. Watt

AP Photo/Gary Lander

Like Donald, J.J. Watt is a former three-time Defensive Player of the Year who retired relatively young. The future Hall of Famer called it a career after the 2022 season—a year before Donald stopped playing—but he has at least considered the possibility of a return.

Earlier this year, the former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals star told Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle that he would have returned to Houston if head coach DeMeco Ryans needed him and the situation was right.

"It would have had to have been the perfect situation, but I definitely would have," Watt said. "It would have to have been, people went down—a Phillip Rivers type."

Watt also told Alexander that Houston and the Pittsburgh Steelers—who employ his brother, T.J. Watt—are the only teams he'd consider unretiring to join.

Honestly? We'd love to see him in either situation. Watching him play with his brother would be loads of fun, as would watching him on the field with a Texans team that might just be Super Bowl-caliber.

Watt turned 37 in March and might only be effective in small doses, though he did notch 12.5 sacks in his final season. However, he was one of the most entertaining high-motor players of his era, and it would be a joy to see him back on the field, even on a part-time basis.