Rams head coach Sean McVay started the week by saying he needed a few days of reflection before deciding whether to stay with the Rams or move forward with his aspirations of becoming a TV analyst.
McVay has finished reflecting and decided to stay with the Rams for a seventh season, the team announced Friday. McVay informed his coaching staff about his decision during a meeting earlier in the day.
After concluding his first losing season as a head coach, McVay told reporters during a candid news conference Monday that he wants to eventually become a TV analyst but wasn’t sure whether now is the right time. The 36-year-old McVay also made it clear that he wasn’t done coaching.
“I’m 36 years old, OK,” McVay said Monday. “I have endless amounts of energy, still. It’s just a matter of, how do you make sure that as you move forward, you’re able to do it in the way that’s best for yourself, your wife, your family members, and then when you are in a role of this magnitude, doing it the way that you’re capable of. And that’s what I want to be able to answer yes to, and if you can do those things, I think a lot of clarity will come with that.”
McVay answered yes to his endless energy for coaching and now has to quickly assemble a coaching staff for the 2023 season. Liam Coen, the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2022, left this week to return to Kentucky for the same role. Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has scheduled interviews with the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts for their head coaching vacancies.
Thomas Brown, the Rams’ assistant head coach, is likely a candidate to become McVay’s latest offensive coordinator, but he’s also a candidate for head coaching jobs.
Last year, McVay received job offers from TV networks after guiding the Rams to a Super Bowl title, and reportedly declined a lucrative contract from Amazon to join its “Thursday Night Football” broadcast team. McVay opted to defend the Rams’ Super Bowl crown and endured a 5-12 record in 2022, which McVay has referred to as the most challenging season of his coaching career.
TV networks reportedly expressed interest in McVay again and will likely continue to do so on a yearly basis until he finally says yes to his desire of joining a broadcast booth.
“I think it’s flattering,” McVay said last week about receiving interest from TV networks. “I think you said it best, these are always going to be things that you kind of anticipate and expect that are going to come up because I haven’t run away from the fact that down the line or whenever that is, that’s something that I’ve been interested in. But kind of like what I was saying earlier, I want to be here right now, focus on that, and that’s where I’m at.”
The Rams likely don’t want to deal with a McVay decision every offseason, but McVay had support from the organization while he spent the week reflecting.
McVay’s winning record of 72-63 in six years, with four playoff seasons and two Super Bowl appearances, also helps with having patience for looming decisions.
