​CLEVELAND, OHIO — SEPTEMBER 22, 2019: Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett #95 and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald #99 pose for a photo while swapping jerseys after their game at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The Rams defeated the Browns 20-13. Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images.
If Aaron Donald officially comes out of retirement and returns to the Los Angeles Rams, the franchise could be on the verge of making NFL history. A potential pairing of Donald and Myles Garrett would give the Rams something they have never had before: two active defensive players on the same roster with at least 100 career sacks.
That milestone would be especially significant for the Los Angeles Rams, a franchise with a long and proud defensive tradition. The Rams have featured legendary pass rushers and dominant defensive fronts over the decades, but they have never had two active defenders with 100 or more career sacks playing together at the same time. Donald and Garrett would immediately change that.
Myles Garrett, currently one of the NFL’s premier edge rushers, has already built a Hall of Fame-caliber résumé. Garrett sits 28th in league history with 125.5 career sacks, and he remains one of the most feared pass rushers in football. His combination of explosiveness, power, speed, and consistency has made him one of the most dominant defensive players of his era.
Aaron Donald, meanwhile, ranks 45th on the NFL’s all-time sack list with 111 career sacks. That number is even more impressive considering Donald spent his entire career as an interior defensive lineman. Defensive tackles generally face more double teams and have fewer direct pass-rushing opportunities than edge rushers, making Donald’s production even more remarkable. His ability to disrupt offenses from the inside helped define the Rams defense for a decade and solidified his place as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history.
The closest the Rams came to this type of historic pairing was during the 2021 season, when Los Angeles acquired Von Miller from the Denver Broncos in a midseason trade. Miller, who ranks 13th in NFL history with 138.5 career sacks, joined Donald for the Rams’ Super Bowl run. However, Donald had not yet reached the 100-sack mark at that point. He crossed that threshold the following season, after Miller had already left Los Angeles and joined the Buffalo Bills.
Because the NFL did not officially begin tracking sacks until 1982, some of the Rams’ legendary defensive units are excluded from this conversation. That includes the famed “Fearsome Foursome,” one of the most iconic defensive lines in football history. Players from that era undoubtedly produced dominant pass-rushing numbers, but their sacks are not officially recognized in the same way as modern statistics.
While a Donald-Garrett combination would be a first for the Rams, it would not be unprecedented across the NFL. Other franchises have had two active defenders with 100 career sacks on the same team a total of 10 times. The San Francisco 49ers lead the way with three different pairings, highlighting their strong history of elite pass rushers.
The most recent example came in 2021, when J.J. Watt and Chandler Jones were both members of the Arizona Cardinals. Other notable pairings include Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil with the Baltimore Ravens in 2016, Bruce Smith and Jim Jeffcoat with the Buffalo Bills in 1997, and Reggie White and Sean Jones with the Green Bay Packers in 1996.
Additional examples include Leslie O’Neal and Derrick Thomas with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1998 to 1999, Jason Taylor and Kevin Carter with the Miami Dolphins in 2006, and Chris Doleman and John Randle with the Minnesota Vikings in 1999. The 49ers accomplished the feat three times in the 1990s, first with Richard Dent and Rickey Jackson in 1994, then with Kevin Greene and Chris Doleman in 1997, and finally with Chris Doleman and Charles Haley in 1998.
For the Rams, adding Myles Garrett to a defense that could also feature Aaron Donald would create one of the most accomplished pass-rushing duos in NFL history. It would also give Los Angeles a rare defensive foundation built around two players who have already surpassed the 100-sack milestone.
If Donald’s return becomes official and Garrett joins him in Los Angeles, the Rams would not only improve their defense in a major way, but they would also enter a unique chapter in franchise history. The combination of Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett would be historic, rare, and potentially one of the most intimidating defensive pairings the NFL has ever seen.