Rams coach Sean McVay ‘gives assistants a chance to find new jobs’ as he weighs his future

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay is so indecisive about his future as the all-Super Bowl champion that he allows his staff to pursue opportunities outside of the organization.

ESPN reported first McVay’s decision to have assistants seek other jobs — a process already underway when Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen announced he will move to a similar position at the University of Kentucky.

McVay’s decision about his current position comes after the Rams’ disappointing 5-12 season — the worst season by a defending Super Bowl champion in NFL history. LA’s miserable 2022 was due in large part to injuries, including two concussions to quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was lost for the season.

Prior to the 2021 campaign, Stafford was acquired from Detroit in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff and two first-round picks, which helped the Rams win the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals last February.

Because of that trade, the Rams will rebuild in 2023 without the help of the sixth overall winner, owned by the Lions.

If McVay decides to leave LA, he would become one of football’s top coaching candidates, although any interested team may have to compensate the Rams with draft picks in order to hire him.

The 37-year-old Coen returned to the OC last season after a hugely successful 2021 with the Wildcats, who went 10-3 and won the Citrus Bowl with a pro-style program led by quarterback Will Levis Ram back.

Britain manager Mark Stoops said he was “very excited” to welcome Coen and his family back to Lexington.

“It was evident that he made a dramatic impression in the one season he was with our team,” the coach said in a press release. “He brings a lot of knowledge, and he also brings an excitement that players and recruits can identify with.”

McVay said Monday he will take an indefinite amount of time to consider his future before embarking on a seventh season with the Rams. He is clearly considering ending his distinguished head coaching career at its lowest point after the Rams (5-12) posted the first loss record of his tenure.

“They don’t want to rush a decision,” said McVay, who turns 37 later this month. “There are a lot of emotions right after the season. There are many layers to this. There’s a lot of people it’s affecting that I don’t take lightly that I want to pay attention to, so I’m going to take the next few days to really reflect (and have a lot of conversations with different people). That will dictate and determine what is best for me, my family, the Rams and many people.

The NFL’s youngest head coach in the last six years sounded seriously conflicted over whether to back away from the relentless coaching grind, which he admits is made worse by his controlling work habits and inability to delegate. Though he said he’s definitely not done coaching yet, the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl has been dreaming of an extended break for several years.

“Tom Brady previously had a quote about how he hopes his kids can find something they’re as passionate about as he is about football, but he wouldn’t wish that agony on anyone and I can really relate to that,” said McVay.

McVay’s future has surprisingly become the primary concern for the injury-plagued Rams, who have lost nine of their last 11 games to miss the playoffs a year after winning at their home turf. The off-season rebuild cannot begin in earnest until general manager Les Snead knows who will be coaching those players – and if McVay leaves, an entirely new staff could be in charge.

McVay almost said his first instinct was to step down in recent weeks, but he’s taking time to reconsider and discuss new avenues with the Rams’ top executives, his coaching buddies, his parents and his wife Veronika.

“I’m a very impulsive person and I don’t have patience,” McVay said. “And so (I) probably want to adjust the approach that I’m usually used to, especially when it comes to a decision of this magnitude.”

He has repeatedly spoken out about the exhaustion and frustration of this difficult season, compounded by the mental stress of his grandfather’s death and concern for his wife’s family in Ukraine. He hasn’t hidden his interest in a cushy broadcasting career either, although those rumors aren’t nearly as prominent as they have been over the past year.

McVay’s musings leave his players in limbo, but no cracks have appeared in the construction of a locker room that’s remained remarkably calm and together. All of the players who spoke about McVay while cleaning out the lockers on Monday said they respect every decision he makes, but they also hope he won’t give up on them.

“We envisioned this season being very different than it is now,” said linebacker Leonard Floyd. “Kind of driving me crazy but it also gives my engine fuel to train this offseason to get even better and come back next year to fight the good fight and win another Super Bowl.”

When McVay returns, he’ll have Stafford and Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp back in the herd. Both stars have been injured and absent since November, but Stafford confirmed on Monday he was returning for 2023 after missing the last seven games with a spinal cord injury.

“I’m going into the off-season with a chance to feel damn healthy,” Stafford said. “I’ll try to feel as good as possible and prepare to go again next year.”

Stafford said he hadn’t seriously considered retirement. He also said he will return to the Rams with or without McVay, although he definitely hopes his coach and friend returns.

The Rams also don’t know what the future holds for seven-time All-Pro-Defense tackle Aaron Donald, who missed the first six games of his NFL career through injury to end the season.

Donald has not been on the sidelines with his teammates for games, although he is a regular at the training complex. He hasn’t said publicly if he’s seriously considering retiring like he did last offseason.

Donald turns 32 in the fall, but his absence could force the Rams to rethink their entire defensive strategy. If he returns to fulfill another year of the richest contract in NFL history for a defensive player, the Rams will breathe a lot easier.