Step-away McVay?
That's not the nickname Los Angeles Rams fans had in mind as royal blue and gold confetti fell in SoFi Stadium on Sunday night in the aftermath of Super Bowl LVI. However, the newly crowned championship coach is offering no more of a commitment to 2022 than star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who dodged questions about a return for next year as well.
Asked if he will return to coach the Rams next season, the 36-year-old told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times: "We'll see."
That seems awfully non-committal for the youngest head coach in the NFL, at age 36, one who seemingly has so many more years to give in the profession. It was only 11 years ago that McVay landed his first job as an on-field NFL assistant coach as a tight ends coach with Washington -- at age 25. That's not to say the coaching profession isn't a grinder; it absolutely is. Former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, at age 58, appears poised for a break that might be filled by a TV analyst role.
But McVay?
"I'm just enjoying this moment right now," McVay told Hernandez, adding that a Super Bowl title would definitely make it easier to walk away when the time is right. "I'm really happy to be a part of this. Happy for that."
Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff isn't panicking, but acknowledged that the amount time and work McVay puts into the job probably isn't healthy for him.
"I would agree I don't think Sean's current pace is sustainable, in terms of how much work he puts in, if you want to have a family," Demoff told the Times. "But I think the one thing (is) these guys all love football. They love being around each other, they feed off of each other. A month away, two months away, from everybody and I think things will feel a lot better."
The coach has two years left on his contract, although the climb to return to the Super Bowl looks like a daunting one. Along with Donald's future being unclear, there are free agents such as Von Miller, Darious Williams, Sony Michel and Odell Beckham who could go elsewhere. And the Rams, per Over The Cap, are facing a nasty salary cap problem this offseason -- some $14.1 million over the limit -- that doesn't bode well for retaining key players, much less adding new ones.
Unlike the challenge of refining a championship roster, money should be no issue for Demoff when it comes to keeping McVay around -- an extension is likely and rightly forthcoming.
That is, if the coach wants it.
