The end of the NFL regular season has arrived for the majority of teams, two of which are the Pittsburgh Steelers and the L.A. Rams.
While the former just missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record, the latter’s playoff hopes ended weeks ago and they tumbled to a 5-12 finish.
For the Rams, the chatter centered immediately around the future of head coach Sean McVay.
McVay has been the Rams’ coach since 2017. In six seasons, he has led the team to a record of 60-38, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win.
The 36-year-old coach boasts an impressive record and resume, and there’s no doubt that McVay is one of the great young coaches in the game today.
Yet after suffering his first losing season, the speculation surrounding McVay is that he might take a break from coaching.
He addressed his current status in a press conference yesterday.
“I think what I liked to do is be able to take the appropriate time,” McVay said Monday. “Never gone through anything like this, but you want to make sure that you’re considerate of the people that are affected.
“But that doesn’t mean it takes away the empathy, the level of responsibility that I do feel for the people that would be affected as it relates to my decision moving forward, and so those are the things that you don’t take lightly. You want to be able to make sure that you’re intentional about taking the appropriate time, while also making a decision in a manner that’s considerate of those people that would be affected.”
McVay is weighing his options, which include the broadcast booth, taking a temporary leave like Sean Payton, or returning to the team. The latter might be the most difficult as the Rams went all in to win the Super Bowl last season so they have minimal salary cap space for the next two years and they gave up first-round draft picks to acquire Matt Stafford.
He’s even allowing his assistant coaches to interview for other jobs unimpeded.
The Rams coach is young and full of energy, but coaching in the NFL entails great sacrifice coupled with both mental and physical fatigue. Longevity doesn’t come easy, especially when winning expectations are a constant.
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