Sean McVay has informed the LA Rams that he will remain their head coach, the team announced Friday.
The youngest head coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl has decided not to take a coaching break after his Rams finished 5-12 in their worst season ever by a defending champion.
The decision comes after McVay said he would “take some time” to reflect on his future after a disappointing season.
Sean McVay has informed the LA Rams that he will remain their head coach, the team announced Friday
The season was McVay’s worst since joining the Rams in 2017, and the coach insisted in his season-ending press conference that he needed time to figure out “how best to move forward to be the best coach.” You can possibly be.’
However, the Rams’ disastrous season could be attributed to their string of injuries, which included quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and apparently didn’t stop McVay from returning.
McVay, who turns 37 later this month, became the youngest head coach in modern NFL history six years ago on Thursday. Everything about McVay’s coaching career was premature, but he chose not to retire early either.
The Rams missed quarterback Matthew Stafford in a disappointing 5-12 season
McVay is holding on at the nadir of his tenure with the Rams, after a year he described as severe mental exhaustion and stress. The Rams’ innovative offensive spirit has also frequently spoken out about his desire to pursue a broadcasting career, though this hiatus has seemingly not been about considering a move to the dressing room.
McVay openly admitted that toward the end of the last few seasons, he felt a near-constant feeling of burnout, even as his coaching fortunes skyrocketed. He went 67-41 with the Rams, who had five winning seasons, four playoff appearances, three NFC West titles, two Super Bowl appearances and a championship in his first half of his tenure before everything collapsed last year.
During the 2022 off-season, McVay signed a contract extension through the 2026 season, matching the length of general manager Les Snead’s contract.
However, his future has been in so much doubt since the end of the regular season that he has allowed his staff to pursue opportunities outside of the organization, according to ESPN.
McVay remains in LA despite a year that he described as severe mental exhaustion and stress
Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen has previously announced that he will take up a similar position at the University of Kentucky.
McVay’s future had become a top concern for the injury-plagued Rams, who have lost nine of their last 11 games to miss the playoffs, a year after winning at their home turf.
The off-season rebuild couldn’t begin in earnest before general manager Snead knew who would be coaching those players, but it seems the organization can now recharge with McVay at the helm.
But McVay denied speculation that he was considering walking away because of the work that will be necessary to get the Rams back in contention.
Though the Rams don’t have a first-round choice after trading Matthew Stafford to Detroit, McVay said he doesn’t think the Rams need a major rebuild as Stafford, Super Bowl MVP Kupp and star cornerback Jalen Ramsey all return healthy for 2023.
He allowed assistants to consider other jobs while Liam Coen went to the University of Kentucky
McVay almost said his first instinct was to step down in recent weeks, but he’s taking time to reconsider and discuss new avenues with the Rams’ top executives, his coaching buddies, his parents and his wife Veronika.
He has spoken repeatedly in recent weeks about how the exhaustion and frustration of this difficult season is being compounded by the psychological toll of the death of his grandfather and his worries for his wife’s family in Ukraine.
“Tom Brady previously had a quote about how he hopes his kids can find something they’re as passionate about as he is about football, but he wouldn’t wish that agony on anyone and I can really relate to that,” said McVay on Monday.
“I’m a very impulsive person and I don’t have patience,” he added. “And so (I) probably want to adjust the approach that I’m usually used to, especially when it comes to a decision of this magnitude.”
McVay almost said his first instinct was to step down in recent weeks but took time to think about it
He has repeatedly spoken out about the exhaustion and frustration of this difficult season, compounded by the psychological toll of the death of his grandfather and worries about his wife’s family in Ukraine. He hasn’t hidden his interest in a cushy broadcasting career either, although those rumors aren’t nearly as prominent as they have been over the past year.
After the Rams beat Cincinnati at their home stadium last February to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl title, McVay’s fame skyrocketed and he landed endorsement deals that included a string of national television commercials. He also landed a new contract with the Rams, which reportedly made him one of the highest-paid coaches in North American sports.
After the Rams’ Super Bowl win, McVay was asked if he would return to Los Angeles in 2022. He replied, “We’ll see.”
But despite speculation about his LA future, McVay told ESPN less than two weeks later that he would not take any television opportunities and would return to coach the Rams.