Rams BREAKING: Coach Sean McVay Spurns Retirement, Stays with L.A.
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay has decided to stay with the team for at least one more season, holding off on retirement and a potential broadcasting opportunity.
McVay took on the Rams' top headset in 2017, the second season of their return to Los Angeles. He's compiled a 60-38 regular season record over six years, currently standing as the third-winningest coach in franchise history behind John Robinson (75) and Chuck Knox (69). He is also tied with Robinson for the most playoff games coached (10) and is the sole leader in postseason victories (7).
Formerly a receiver at Miami University in Ohio, McVay held assisting coaching jobs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the United Football League's Florida Tuskers before returning to the NFL as the Washington Redskins' tight ends coach (2011-13) and offensive coordinator (2014-16). McVay grew up around victorious NFL football, as his grandfather John served as the San Francisco 49ers' general manager during their five-championship run in the 1980s and 1990s.
McVay was hired as the Rams' head coach in January 2017, 11 days before his 31st birthday. The promotion made him the youngest head coach in the NFL's modern era (since 1970). Uniting with former Washington collaborator Matt LaFleur, McVay transformed the offense of a 4-12 Rams team, guiding them to an 11-5 mark in his rookie season, ending a 12-year playoff drought. Though the Rams fell to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Wild Card round, McVay was named the Associated Press' NFL Coach of the Year for his efforts.
In the following season, McVay and the Rams won 13 games and advanced to their first Super Bowl since the 2001-02 campaign. Another visit three years later yielded a Super Bowl victory over Cincinnati, allowing McVay to become the youngest head coach to ever win the title at 36.
Despite his relatively short tenure as a head coach, McVay has often been credited with indirectly creating the "Sean McVay effect," as his overnight success with the Rams' offense caused teams to look toward younger, offensive-minded coaches. McVay faced one of those hires, Zac Taylor, in the victorious Super Bowl last February, ironically doing battle with one of his collaborators from his first two seasons in Los Angeles. Other beneficiaries included LaFleur, Kevin O'Connell, Nick Sirianni, and Mike McDaniel.
McVay had reportedly considered retirement after last season's championship run, with his interest in broadcasting reportedly serving as football's "worst-kept secret." He returned to headline the Rams' ill-fated title defense, one derailed by injuries and inconsistency. Even with the trials a 5-12 season had to offer, however, McVay's Rams still own the eighth-best winning percentage in the NFL since 2017 (.612).
And now, McVay will get another chance to add more wins to his resume.
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