Is there a chance that Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay walks away from coaching soon? This former All-Pro wide receiver thinks so.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay will head into his 10th season at the helm.
The 40-year-old head coach started his illustrious Hall of Fame career at the age of 31. Many were baffled that the Rams would even consider, let alone hire, a coach no older than players on the roster.
Nine years later, McVay is the best coach in the franchise's history and arguably the best coach in the NFL today. However, his tenure hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows.
A few years ago, there was considerable speculation that he could step away from coaching and pursue a career in the media instead. Fortunately for the Rams, that never materialized; however, former All-Pro wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. believes that day is closer than we all think.
In a recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Smith suggested that McVay could step away from coaching for a few seasons once Matthew Stafford retires, spend time with his family and children, and eventually return to the sidelines, given that he would still be relatively young by coaching standards.
“Coach McVay may take a few years off because he has young children. He’s one of those guys who’s all-in and becomes a hermit of football when he’s in with football – and we all know you can’t do that AND be a father, husband, uncle, all that stuff. So you kind of need that time to just get your sabbatical,” Smith said.
McVay recently appeared on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast and admitted that he nearly retired after the Rams' dreadful 2022 season. He credited his wife for encouraging him to stay the course.
" I was counting down the days for that season to be over. I was like, 'What a fraud.' I'll never forget explaining the situation to my wife, Veronika. Maybe I'll step away, it's going to be a really tough upcoming season, I had some media stuff, and if I had done that, I would have conveniently hid behind that, but the reality is I would have been quitting. Basically, I was trying to rationalize and justify why I should do it.
“... I remember I was explaining it and she just kind of looked at me and it was very loving and supportive, and she’s like ‘You know it never really sounded like the kind of leader you wanted to be.’ and I was like ‘Boom,’ it him me like a ton of bricks."
McVay has created quite a resume for himself. There is no doubting the impact he’s had with the Rams and the type of culture he’s built.
He’s transcended the way teams look for head coaches now and has turned the Rams from a mediocre franchise to one of the best since taking over.
It’s unclear how long McVay will continue coaching for, but that conversation probably won’t reappear until he has another Super Bowl ring on his finger.
