Ram Digest

Rams, McVay Dominate NFL’s ‘50 Under 40’ List

List includes six members of Rams organization, more than any NFL team
Zak Gilbert|
Aug 14, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams vice president Tony Pastoors attends a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Aug 14, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams vice president Tony Pastoors attends a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Rams

Pete Rozelle became general manager of the Los Angeles Rams at age 31. Sean McVay was 30 when the Rams hired him as head coach. Don’t be surprised if McVay follows in Rozelle’s footsteps and becomes commissioner of the NFL.

Especially after The Athletic revealed its list of 50 Under 40, a list of ascending coaches and other league difference-makers under age 40. McVay’s fingerprints are all over the list. Writers Jordan Rodrigue and Mike Jones were sure to obviously include McVay himself.

“Is this guy 40 yet? Not quite,” they wrote. “The youngest Super Bowl-winning head coach in NFL history turned 39 this year, but it seems like he’s lived an entire lifetime of coaching since he was initially hired to lead the Rams in 2017.”

And since that day, McVay has exhibited stunning influence. In fact, the 50 under 40 list includes six members of the Rams organization, more than any other NFL team. For context, the Chiefs had none.

James Gladstone (director of scouting strategy), Tony Pastoors (VP/football business and administration), Aubrey Pleasant (assistant head coach/defensive backs), Nate Scheelhaase (pass game coordinator) and Chris Shula (defensive coordinator) also represent the Rams.

The Jaguars are conducting a second general-manager interview with Gladstone this week. Pleasant interviewed for the Jaguars’ defensive-coordinator position this month, and Scheelhaase recently interviewed for OC roles with both the Jaguars and Buccaneers.

Pastoors and Shula, meanwhile, are expected to see similar opportunities next winter. Pastoors is a future NFL team president and Shula should expect head-coach interviews after the Rams’ defense played so well in the wake of Aaron Donald’s retirement.

The list also features two former McVay coordinators -- Liam Coen, now head coach in Jacksonville, and Kevin O’Connell, now head coach in Minnesota – and three other former McVay colleagues (Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer and Patriots VP of football operations/strategy John Streicher).

It even includes Jacques McClendon, the WME agent whose clients include Coen and Panthers head coach Dave Canales. Before becoming an agent, McClendon was one of McVay’s first hires in Los Angeles, where he spent six seasons (2017-22) as the Rams’ director of football affairs.

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Zak Gilbert
ZAK GILBERT

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak Gilbert has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.

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