Shortly after the Rams’ season ended, Sean McVay took some time to think about his future. After a difficult 5-12 season that took a lot out of him, he wasn’t completely sure if he wanted to continue coaching in 2023.
So he took a few days to weigh his options and consider what would be best for him and his family. He never put a timeline on his decision, but it turns out he only needed a little bit before ultimately choosing to return to the Rams.
The front office was obviously hoping he’d return, but McVay was given all the space and time he needed. NFL Network’s Peter Schrager is a friend of McVay’s and he said on the Pat McAfee Show today that the Rams were willing to let McVay take the year off if he wanted to.
“I think he thought long and hard and I thought based on conversations with him, and we were talking daily, that he was going to take a couple of weeks, maybe a month to figure out what he was gonna do,” Schrager said. “And the Rams were giving him that space. They said, ‘If you need a year off to clear your head and come back, that’s fine.’ The Rams were awesome about it. He took about three days.”
"I think Sean McVay thought long and hard about his future with the Rams..
At the end of the day I don't think he was gonna leave guys like Donald, Stafford and Kupp" ~ @PSchrags #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/jTLsfjqlTi
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 12, 2023
McVay is back with the Rams and has a lot of added motivation to bounce back from their 5-12 campaign in 2022, but he actually considered taking the season off, according to Schrager.
“He was calling everybody and he was trying to get everyone’s thoughts,” he added. “And at the end of the day, I don’t think he was going to do that to Matthew Stafford, I don’t think he was going to do that to Cooper Kupp and he didn’t need the full year away. No one was pushing him to do that but he was considering it.”
The Rams should be thankful that McVay chose to continue coaching, and it sounds like this won’t be a year-to-year thing. McVay said this offseason that he doesn’t want it to be a storyline each year and that he’s committed to the Rams long-term.
Rams head coach Sean McVay on his decision to return:
"You want to make sure you're making a decision for years to come."
Said he's "really committed to not having this becoming a story ever year. I don't take that lightly."
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) March 10, 2023
Whether it’s two more years or 15 more, the Rams will be in good shape as long as McVay is at the helm.
