Rams Gave Sean McVay Option to 'Clear His Head,' Take a Year Off
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Amid countless retirement rumors that even he admitted were true, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay made the decision this offseason to stay for 2023 and beyond. A 5-12 season and one of the worst Super Bowl hangovers of all time wasn't going to deter him, though the Rams apparently him showed that they'd understand if it did.
After helping lead LA to a win in Super Bowl LVI, the organization was willing to give McVay some leeway that most coaches don't have the privilege of receiving.
Per NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, the Rams were ready to give McVay a year off to step away from coaching.
"The Rams were giving him that space," Schrager said during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. "They said, ‘If you need a year off to clear your head and come back, that’s fine.’ The Rams were awesome about it. He took about three days.”
For what seems like forever, McVay has been connected to retirement rumors to potentially pursue a career in broadcasting. But based on Schrager's comments, maybe he wanted a break from working altogether.
Even after some consideration, it's clear his fiery competitiveness refused to flame out.
“I think he thought long and hard and I thought based on conversations with him, and we were talking daily, that he was going to take a couple of weeks, maybe a month to figure out what he was gonna do," Schrager said.
The decision was apparently such a tough one for McVay that he consulted many people around him to get some advice. But Schrager said that a potential driving force to come back was not needing a full year off while also being able to return for another season with veterans like quarterback Matthew Stafford and star receiver Cooper Kupp.
“He was calling everybody and he was trying to get everyone’s thoughts,” he said. “And at the end of the day, I don’t think he was going to do that to Matthew Stafford, I don’t think he was going to do that to Cooper Kupp and he didn’t need the full year away. No one was pushing him to do that but he was considering it.”
Luckily for the Rams, McVay chose to stay. Combine this with the return from injury for multiple star players like Kupp and defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and there's no reason why the Rams can't compete for a playoff spot next season.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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