In the last two offseasons, the Los Angeles Rams have had to navigate the possibility of Sean McVay retiring as head coach and stepping away from the sideline. While McVay elected to return, he recalled thinking it would be “pretty hypocritical” of him to call it quits following the 2022 season.
“Anything else in terms of going and doing other things, that would have been a convenient narrative to run away from some challenging times,” McVay said, via The Athletic. “I think … when you ask your players to be resilient, to persevere, to push through some tough times, it would have been pretty hypocritical if I didn’t follow some of the things that I ask of them.
Buy Rams TicketsAfter the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl for the 2021 campaign, there were murmurs that McVay could walk away from coaching — at least to take a break. But the Rams and McVay agreed to terms on an extension through the 2026 season before Week 1 of last season, linking him to Les Snead in that timeframe.
Amid injuries and woes on both sides of the ball, the Rams finished with a dismal 5-12 record in 2022, causing McVay to consider his future once again. There were rumors that McVay could leave for a gig on television, but he determined that staying with the Rams was the best choice.
“It was a pretty quick decision that I was able to make. But I wanted to make sure I could get myself grounded and have a plan in place to address some of the things I needed to address,” McVay said.
Feelings of being burnt out and exhausted clouded McVay, so the energetic coach has since hired Mike LaFleur as his new offensive coordinator. LaFleur comes from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, making him well-versed with McVay’s system on offense.
Even though McVay needed time to mull over his future, the seventh-year coach wasn’t prepared to step away, partly due to the adversity the Rams endured in 2022.
