Amazon and FOX made pushes for Sean McVay last year. McVay passed and signed a new Rams deal, but networks are circling again.
NFL TV intend to pursue McVay as an in-game analyst or a studio presence, according to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. This comes near the end of a Rams season that skidded off track quickly. Last week, the Rams became the first defending Super Bowl champion to lose 11 games.
Networks have eyed McVay for years, per McCarthy. The 36-year-old coach has a relationship with Al Michaels, who left NBC to lead Amazon’s Thursday-night coverage this year. The streaming service went with Kirk Herbstreit to team with Michaels this season, but it offered McVay a $20MM-per-year deal to jump to the booth. At the time, that was more than double McVay’s Rams contract. 49ers GM John Lynch also turned down a massive raise to move to Amazon.
Sean Payton did leave and join FOX. Though, the longtime Saints coach appears ready to re-enter his former profession. FOX also reached an agreement with Tom Brady — a 10-year, $375MM accord — for the Buccaneers quarterback to step into the network’s lead analyst role when he retires. Brady said recently a second retirement will be his last, but he is not certain to be ready for the booth venture this year.
A year later, McVay may be more receptive to a booth sabbatical. The Rams battled incessant injury problems this season, which will end with Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford on the sidelines. The defending Super Bowl champs rearmed themselves for a repeat, bringing Donald back into the fold via a landmark raise and extending both Kupp and Stafford. McVay called the Rams’ 2022 season “very humbling” this week.
Networks intend to roll out a red carpet for McVay, per McCarthy, even if the sixth-year Rams HC would want to join a three-person booth — a la Bruce Arians in 2018 — or work part-time as a studio analyst. Since Tony Romo‘s whopping CBS extension (worth $17.5MM per year) moved the goal posts for TV analysts, certain coaches are facing more complicated decisions on staying in the game or stepping into the media realm. McVay would certainly not be the first young-ish coach to leave football, though he is much younger than Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden or Dick Vermeil were when they left the profession initially.
The Rams ranked as the NFL’s worst passing offense in 2016; the McVay hire revived the team and did plenty for the league’s latest Los Angeles foray. The Rams are 4-for-6 in playoff berths under McVay and have qualified for two Super Bowls, but the perennially all-in team’s injury problems and perpetual lack of a first-round pick — this year’s goes to the Lions — will test McVay and GM Les Snead‘s ability to pick up the pieces this time around. If McVay walks, Snead will be tasked with replacing one of this era’s top offensive minds. That could set the Rams back significantly.
the rams trade coach sean mcvay to tv networks for cash considerations
Do broadcast networks really believe fans tune in just to hear specific game analysts or talking heads in the studio? How many of us would watch a game just because Tom Brady, for example, might be talking about the action? Better yet, how many of us would turn off a game because Brady wasn’t on the broadcast?
Ya. It doesn’t make sense to take talent off the sideline and put it in the booth.
Or still better yet, how many would turn off a game because WAS on it?
I don’t care what that whiny cheater has to say.
He’ll go on the Joe Buck list of guys who I turn off or mute when they do the game.
Money well spent, no doubt.
So much for him being the next coaching legend
He’s only 36. He could cool his heels with a lighter workload and a huge check for a few years, then have his pick of jobs while he’s still younger than most first time head coaches.
He could take 5 years off and still be younger than most head coaches when he returns… plenty of time to still earn legend status. He really only needs one more title to be considered that since few head coaches have more than one Super Bowl ring.
Yeah, he’s still the youngest coach in football. In 10 years, he’ll be Dan Campbell and Josh McDaniels’ age.
Exactly. I think tiredolddude is jumping the gun a bit here. McVay is insanely young still.
This should be an easy decision for McVay. Take the absurd money from a tv network for the next 5-10 years all while monitoring the coaching market. Then take the best coaching job that opens up
McVay looks like a quitter. He’ll jump to TV for sure.
Sean Payton to the LA Rams?
Wait, he has a decision to make? Take the $20 million and run for 5-10 years, then head back to a team of his choice a la Jon Gruden (although without the drama, please) or Sean Payton is expecting to do.
Unless part of these contracts is meeting and greeting sponsors constantly, the money is just stupid and this value will not be recouped.*
Network execs pretending they are doing something.
*If it is, then so be it, having Brady glad hand sponsors has real value. Having him say stuff like “they are really playing hard today” does not.