Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay led his team to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2021 season. One year later, he nearly walked away from his job.
In a May 19 episode of the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast, McVay told hosts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan that he nearly stepped away from coaching after the 2022 season. If it weren’t for a conversation he had with his wife, McVay said he likely would have quit his job.
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“You could use the narrative that I was going to go to media or whatever, but the truth would’ve been I was quitting,” McVay said. “I couldn’t handle the losing. It was almost like a scarlet letter.”
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Sean McVay was ‘counting down the days’ for end of 2022 season
During the 2022 season, one year removed from their Super Bowl win, the Rams had to deal with injuries to key players on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp only played in nine games, and defensive tackle Aaron Donald missed six games.
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After a shaky, 3-3 start to the season, Los Angeles came out of its Week 7 bye and lost six straight games. They finished the season 5-12.
“I was counting down the days for that season to be over,” McVay said. “What a fraud.”
At the end of the 2022 season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that McVay’s “immediate future … is in limbo.” Schefter wrote at the time that the Rams’ head coach was still undecided about returning for the 2023 season. One week later, McVay reportedly informed the team he had decided to stay.
Flash forward three years, and McVay told “Bussin’ With The Boys” how he came to that conclusion in the podcast episode that aired on May 19.
Sean McVay’s wife convinced him to keep Rams HC job
McVay said he talked through his thought process with his wife after the season ended. The Rams were looking at a “really tough upcoming season” in 2023 after a disappointing 2022, and the head coach had the chance to pivot to a media career if he stepped away.
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“Basically, I was trying to rationalize and justify why I should do it,” McVay said. “And I remember I was explaining it, and she just kind of looked at me … and she’s like, ‘You know, that never really sounded like the kind of leader you wanted to be.’ It hit me like a ton of bricks.
“And I also remember thinking to myself, the most important thing I’ve always wanted to do was be a father and be a husband. And I’ll never be able to look at my little boy when he grows up and goes through adversity and say, ‘Do as I say, not as I did.'”
That conversation, McVay said, led him to the quick conclusion that he had to return to coach the following season.
“I’ll never be able to live with myself if I did this,” he said.
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So McVay returned in 2023, and the Rams went 10-7 and made the playoffs.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Sean McVay’s wife is to thank for Rams HC staying with the team
