Sean McVay is nowhere near the veteran of his job like his fellow head coaching peers, but the 36-year-old’s days could be ending a lot sooner than many would expect.
The defending champion Rams struggling and hold a 3-4 record heading into Week 9. Los Angeles is fighting for a playoff spot as Cooper Kupp nurses an ankle injury and Matthew Stafford fights for his life behind a weak offensive line.
It’s those struggles that explain the rumors the Rams were involved in for potential upgrades. They were in discussions with the Carolina Panthers for running back Christian McCaffrey, who went to NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers, and defensive star Brian Burns. Los Angeles came up empty at the trade deadline and will have to make things work with what they have.
NFL reporter Albert Breer went on the “Rich Eisen Show” to explain why the Rams were aggressive in their efforts to upgrade their roster and in doing so, revealed how long McVay could stick around in Los Angeles.
“I think the way the Rams view it right now, they’ve got a core of four players, realistically is what we’re talking about here is Stafford, Kupp, (Aaron) Donald and (Jalen) Ramsey,” Breer told Eisen. “And I think there’s also an acknowledgement — this is something I’ve talked about the last few months — Sean McVay’s future with the team is probably tied to those core guys, and in all likelihood, when those guys are gone, McVay’s gonna be gone too.”
The 2022-23 season is McVay’s sixth year as head coach, and he is among the younger coaches in the league. But based on Breer’s reporting, it doesn’t sound like the 36-year-old is interested in being part of a rebuild, which would likely be an ugly situation.
General manager Les Snead has done a solid job amassing talent for McVay and has been willing to give up multiple first-round picks to do so. The moves don’t paint a great picture for the Rams’ future, but the organization is committed to their “(expletive) those picks” strategy.
It certainly has paid off with a Super Bowl victory last season, but Los Angeles has shown how fragile the team can be, and the NFL is an ever-changing league where sustained success can be difficult to achieve.
The Rams get a tough matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9, and it is a contest that looks like a must-win game for both struggling squads.
