Los Angeles Rams can afford to wait on paying Sean McVay
By Steve Rivera
The Los Angeles Rams should be in no hurry to pay head coach Sean McVay, especially with on-field talent like Jared Goff coming due for a new deal.
The Los Angeles Rams have a bounty of riches these days. Whether it’s defensive linemen Aaron Donald, a host of talented receivers headlined by Brandin Cooks or quarterback Jared Goff, good things are plentiful in L.A. They also have one of the brightest of young minds in Sean McVay, entering only his third season as an NFL head coach.
This ”bounty of riches” has a bill that is coming due, however, and fans in Los Angeles know it. With Goff entering the fourth season of his rookie deal, he seems the most likely on deck for a big payday. With a Super Bowl and two NFC West titles to McVay’s credit also, though, the next question is when does the head coach in Los Angeles cash in.
It’s a fair question to ask — but it’s also premature. The Rams deserve credit for keeping the big-name talent in Los Angeles and, while you can question the deal that hobbled running back Todd Gurley received, L.A. has done it the right way.
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McVay hasn’t shown signs that he’s anything other than content and committed to what the Rams are doing. He’s NFL savvy and he knows the pecking order. He certainly understands that his coaching success is directly tied to the talent on the field. That talent also needs to get paid. As good as McVay is and has been, no one is buying tickets to watch him prowl the sidelines in a headset.
All that said, McVay is smart enough to know that he works for an organization who has been timely in taking care of said talent. Yes, it seemed to take forever for Donald to get his record-setting money. Cooks got his deal done and, for better or worse, Gurley did too. Whatever your perception of Goff, he’s demonstrated the ability to get it done and he’s due before the head coach.
Understand that McVay knows all of that too. The Rams have demonstrated a willingness to go above and beyond to show goodwill. They also have not gone cheap on the way to being the best team in the NFC West and bonafide in the NFC. Los Angeles is a team that will be on the short list for a return to the Super Bowl in 2019.
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If the ascent for McVay and the Rams continue, odds are great that the players on the field get theirs, as does the head coach on the sideline. There’s just no need to rush any of it.