Best seasons by an NFL player who returned from retirement and thrived

Aaron Donald plans to return from retirement-level absence after missing two full NFL seasons, joining a rare group of players who stepped away and then came back to produce at a high level. The piece looks at eight of the best seasons by players who sat out at least one complete year and returned to deliver memorable results, counting backward from “very good” to extraordinary. The list includes Jason Witten’s 2019 comeback with the Dallas Cowboys at age 37, finishing with 63 catches for 529 yards and four touchdowns. It also features Marshawn Lynch’s 2017 Raiders resurgence and Bronko Nagurski’s World War II-era return with the Chicago Bears in 1943.