The Rams are no longer awaiting word on Sean McVay‘s future. After rumblings he was going to leave after six seasons surfaced, McVay is shooting that talk down. He will come back.
McVay informed members of the Rams organization he plans to stay in place as the team’s head coach, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The team gave McVay space to make his decision, and he took a few days. Despite the Rams’ 5-12 finish and a run of injuries gutting their depth chart this season, the Super Bowl-winning HC will attempt to pick up the pieces in 2023.
Rams COO Kevin Demoff said the team had a contingency plan, with the Los Angeles Times’ Gary Klein indicating defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and tight ends coach Thomas Brown almost certainly resided as McVay fallback options. Both coaches are up for other positions, but each could also return as top McVay lieutenants next season. McVay is considering staff changes, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo add (via Twitter).
Still the youngest head coach in the NFL, McVay has received extensive interest from networks for prime analyst roles. Even part-time work would have satisfied certain networks, giving McVay a lucrative out from his Rams post. The wunderkind coach confirmed he is interested in pursuing a TV career at some point. Amazon and Fox wooed him last year, but he turned each down and signed an extension that made him one of the league’s highest-paid coaches. It appears the 36-year-old leader will stay on that contract and attempt a Rams reload.
A Sunday report pointed to McVay being likelier to step away, though The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue indicated some among the Rams believed he would ultimately come back (Twitter link). The Rams sent out an ominous message earlier this week, letting their assistants know lateral moves to other teams, as McVay pondered his future, would not be blocked. While it does sound like staff changes are coming — one we know will happen is at the offensive coordinator post, after Liam Coen returned to Kentucky — several key Rams staffers will likely be back.
McVay’s arrival in Los Angeles turned the Rams from the league’s worst passing offense to the NFL’s top scoring team, resulting in a 2017 playoff berth and Coach of the Year honors. Proving to be one of the modern game’s premier offensive minds, McVay accomplished that feat at 31, led the Rams to the Super Bowl at 32 and won it at 35, putting himself on a trajectory to become one of the game’s all-time greats — should he choose to stick around long enough to bolster his resume. The Rams are 60-38 under McVay, but they did just complete the worst Super Bowl title defense in history.
Last year, the Rams extended Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp. By December, none of those stars were available. The 2022 season flipped the Rams’ injury fortune, with offensive line setbacks also crushing the team. L.A. started four quarterbacks, including waiver claim Baker Mayfield. Stafford, 35 in February, said he has no plans to retire. The Rams prioritized a healthy Stafford offseason — after 2022’s featured nagging elbow trouble — and used Mayfield down the stretch. Donald, who joined Kupp as the drivers of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win last year, also made it clear McVay played a major role in his decision not to retire last year.
The Rams will face familiar problems in 2023: no first-round pick (they do have a second-rounder this year) and a cap-space figure projected to be near the bottom of the league. These issues have not deterred the McVay-Les Snead regime from continually fielding strong teams, but 2023 — when Kupp will join Donald and Stafford as over-30 standouts — may be more challenging.
McVay leaving the Rams could have brought an organization-altering change, considering the value he has presented the team over the past six years. Checking this box will be the most important, and the Rams can now move on to staff and roster matters as they attempt to assemble a fifth playoff team in the McVay era.
Until he doesn’t. F those picks woulda been an easier pill to swallow with stage makeup on than a coaches headset
TV gonna pay more than $14 mil a year?
Yes, otherwise he wouldn’t have considered it. Also, Brady is gonna make in the neighborhood of 37 mil a year for TV and Romo makes 17 mil a year.
Thanks. Appreciate the reminder that where the world’s priorities are concerned, we’ve gone completely insane
Last year Amazon was reportedly offering $20+ mil
I’ve always gotten the feeling that McVay is a competitor. I can understand the kneejerk “I don’t know if I want to do this any more” reaction after a tough season, but I honestly didn’t see a championship coach walking away after this last one.
“You play the game to win.”
They’ll get back to winning. His record says so.
Salary cap and lack of picks may say otherwise.
From google: McVay, who turns 37 later this month, holds a 60-38 record as head coach.
Salary cap is meaningless. Saints continually won with a great coaching and QB’ing and ‘no cap space’. They lost this year w/ bad coaching and QB play. Not cap reasons.
And they don’t have a 1st round pick lol the number 1 seed Eagles have it. How great first seed with a top 10 pick Howie for president
How many top 10 picks have busted? More coming up this April. Sean has gone to the SB twice in 6 years. Good enough for me as a great coach. Division titles as well. Both SB’s w/o a HoF QB.
Die on your sword sir.
In 7 seasons, you wouldn’t take 3 division titles, one 2nd place, one 3rd place finish, & 2 SB’s? That was like the hey day of my Skins under Gibbs in the 80’s. I’d take it non-stop.
Of course, but these next few years are not going to be kind to the Rams. They have no money to spend, they will have to cut high priced stars and they have no draft picks to replace that talent. That was the entire point sport before you got all defensive and brining up the past.
They’ve been flipping picks since 2016. It’s not like this is something new for the team. 2016 & last year are there only 2 losing seasons.
The league sees their success and are copying it. All the WR’s, (Hill, Adams, & Brown) last year that were traded. Russ as well. Boom for Seattle, but still a massive trade of picks. More big trades will happen this offseason & that’s largely influenced by how the Rams conduct business.
Great article on the Rams trade for Ramsey. I’d say the Rams won that trade and can trade Ramsey for picks. Lots of chatter about that recently.
link to theramswire.usatoday.com
First-round picks are sucker bets. That’s why the union negotiated slot money. If you look at the most recent history of the league, each team has a 2-3 year opportunity to win. There’s little loyalty when it comes to $. How many players went to class, finished college and have degrees. Tell me when Coach Slime starts graduating players at Colorado.
They in the super bowl with a top 10 pick period the end lol
First thing he needs to do is figure out the QB situation because if Stafford is unable to play, They need to move on from mayfield he’s terrible
Lol…he went 2-3 (almost 3-2) playing with the absolute backup crap of the rams….not a single starting WR left and his OLine was likely the worst in the league. It was basically him and Akers out there. The fact he even won 2 games with that terrible bunch of players speaks volumes.
I bet you hate when Mayfield keeps changing teams because you gotta buy a new Mayfield jersey to hang on your wall. Mayfield is a below average quarterback. Nothing more.
Maybe….maybe not but the argument was “he’s terrible.” Which I think he proved in those 5 games he’s not. Also look at the dumpster fires he’s been on so far. How’d Watson do in Cleveland? Yeah….worse than baker. Glad they sold their souls for that dude. How’d Carolina do with their 3 other QBs….still crappy. Go figure.
He may not be anything great but he’s been on some pretty craptastic teams in his 5 years in the league and still took the browns to their only playoff win in the past 2 decades.
You’re wrong on both accounts. Watson had a higher rating than Mayfield this year and Carolina won more games with the other 2. For the 1st pick in the draft, Mayfield has been a big disappointment. He’s probably destined for backup status the rest of his career. He’s just not consistent. Stefanski actually got a career year out of Brissett. As for winning a playoff game, I think Roethlisberger and his 5 turnovers had more to do with it than Baker
Brissett was better than Watson and he raped 66 fewer women.
I never knew that
Him quitting when the going got tough would’ve been a bad look. I would’ve yelled ‘Quitter’ every time I saw him on TV. That woulda taught him.
He’d probably need to spend 1% of the gigantic pile of money he’s made (and will make) getting therapy from the sting of your words.
I think McVay just called another timeout.
Good. I’d hate to see him go out like that. + it’s good competition for Pete.
This year’s crash and burn by the Rams is just the start – thus McVay has his work cut out for him, especially since he is also facing the likelihood of multiple staff departures.
good for the rest of NFC west
I have to believe they backed up the Brinks truck to his door to keep him from (Retiring? yeh right another ploy for more money).
They did the last year. He is already 3rd highest paid coach.