Overtime, or “OT,” is an opinion column series where the Collegian takes national sports headlines or polarizing topics and gives them a Butler-centric angle.
After the huge trade that sent 2025 Defensive Player of The Year (DPOY) Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams — who already have last season’s most valuable player Matthew Stafford — online rumors spread of Aaron Donald, three-time DPOY defensive tackle who retired after the 2023 season, potentially returning to the Rams to form the superteam.
These rumors were confirmed following multiple sightings of Donald at the Rams training camp this summer. On Aug. 30, the defensive tackle announced that he will be returning to the Rams just a few weeks before the 2026 NFL season kicked off.
This bold move led many NFL fans to ask why Donald felt the need to unretire. Was it because of the elite talent the Rams possess, was it for the money, or did he just want to play the game again? Donald is not the first elite athlete to come out of retirement, and there are examples of players who chose to unretire for different reasons.
First-year accounting major Deakin Moore gave his rationale for why a player may choose to come back.
“I think it’s mostly because they love the game,” Moore said. “They wouldn’t have played so long if they didn’t [love what they do].”
One of the earliest elite athletes to famously come back was Michael Jordan in 1995. In 1993, after winning three NBA championships in a row with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan retired due to physical and mental exhaustion.
After two years of him taking time off and even playing minor league baseball following the death of his father, he decided to re-sign with the Bulls. Jordan came back not for the money, but because he loved the game of basketball and when he perceived the NBA as a whole going downhill after he left, Jordan did not want to leave it like that.
‘“I wanted to instill some positives back into this game,”’ Jordan said in an article published by Yahoo Sports. “I think you should love this game, not take advantage of it.”
Jordan would then go on to win three more championships with the Bulls before retiring again in 1999 after losing the desire to play at the highest level of basketball.
Coming back for the love of the game is one of the main reasons why most athletes do come back. A more recent example of this comes from Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers.
“I thought my career might have been over, and I was okay with that,” Rivers said in an article published by ESPN. “But I missed the game and missed all of you.”
Rivers originally retired in 2021, playing his final season with the Colts after 16 with the Los Angeles Chargers. During the 2025 season, after a hot 8-1 start, the Colts’ starting quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending injury. Due to the dire circumstances, Rivers decided to unretire — which pushed his Hall of Fame ballot eligibility back five years — and play for the Colts once again.
After an unfortunate end to the season for the Colts, missing the playoffs, the 44-year-old Rivers would once again announce his retirement, this time most likely for good.
While elite athletes may cite the love of the game as the reason for their return, there are other factors as well.
First-year biology major Oliver Bez believes some athletes choose selfish reasons to unretire.
“I’d say the motives for them [to come back] are probably to set records,” Bez said. “Their names are already going to be well-remembered, but if they can just add to their list of accomplishments, it just makes their [legacy] more impressive.”
The argument of athletes coming back for their own personal glory was heavily discussed regarding Aaron Donald. Many, including Bez, feel that this is an invalid reason to unretire.
“It’s just stat padding if they’re going to [be a part of a successful team], unless they actually have a good impact on the team,” Bez said.
Donald himself confirmed this. In an interview with ESPN right after he officially had a deal with the Rams, the defensive tackle said he was motivated to return after seeing the signings the Rams were making.
The Super Bowl-level team the Rams created with their addition of Garrett gave Donald an enticing reason to return and play for the Rams once again.
Another potential factor to Donald’s return, as mentioned by first-year exploratory major Eli Pavey, is how in-shape Donald was even after he retired.
“We’ll see how [Donald’s return] goes from here,” Pavey said. “He’s still athletic enough and good enough to be able to be an asset.”
Donald was able to keep his body in an athletic state following his retirement in 2024. This allowed Donald to join in on Rams training camps before officially returning.
The defensive tackle did not play in the Week 1 loss against the San Francisco 49ers, and instead made his debut on Sept. 21 against the New York Giants where he recorded three total tackles.
It is likely that there will be many elite athletes who choose to return to the game they once retired from. While their motives for returning will be unknown, we do know their return will leave fans asking the question: why?