Sean McVay’s future with the Los Angeles Rams is in question. With that in mind, the Los Angeles Rams need to call these five coaching candidates.
Has there ever been a more precipitous fall from a defending Super Bowl champion than the 2022 Los Angeles Rams? After winning it all last year, the Rams enter Week 18 with a record of 5-11 and nothing to play for in their final game.
While injuries have played a part in the 2022 decline, it could be a sign of caution for other teams looking to build a winner: Temporary flashy trade market and free agency adds won’t help you in the long run, if you want to build a dynasty you need to draft well.
As a result of the skids this year, Sean McVay’s future is in doubt. He’s not at risk to be fired — at least as far as we know — but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he is seriously considering his future with the team due to a flurry of events that have transpired over the past year both relative to football and otherwise.
“McVay has gone back and forth on the decision and needs time to get away to process all that has transpired over the past year: winning a Super Bowl, being courted to work in television, getting married, watching his wife’s home country of Ukraine invaded, losing his grandfather and then coaching a team that has fallen short of its expectations.”
The Rams can not necessarily wait around for McVay to make his decision to start planning backup moves. It would stand to reason that if McVay wants to come back, the job is his. But if he decides to walk and entertain a career change, the Rams need to have a coach to lead the helm. They still have Matthew Stafford, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, and so as far away as they looked this year, perhaps a strong head coach hiring could be one of the big things that gets them back on track.
Let’s look at a few names they should be getting on the phone immediately. One name we won’t include here: Sean Payton. The former Saints coach still has his rights owned by New Orleans. Reports that the Broncos want to interview Payton clued in that the Saints want a first-round draft pick in return for Payton’s rights, which the Rams do not have (Lions own it via the Matthew Stafford trade).