After years of underachieving under Jeff Fisher, the Los Angeles Rams hit the jackpot when they hired Sean McVay to be their head coach in 2017. Right off the bat, McVay turned the LA Rams into a playoff team. While he originally did it with some of the players he inherited from Fisher, he kept adding talent to the roster and eventually did what his predecessor couldn’t: Win a Super Bowl.
But after six years at the helm, it sounds as if Sean McVay is ready to retire. As a matter of fact, he told his staff that he doesn’t know what he will do next but won’t prevent them from looking for other jobs, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
#Rams coach Sean McVay, whose future is in limbo, has permitted his coaching staff to search for other jobs without resistance, per sources. McVay said in a staff meeting that he doesn’t know what he will do next year and won’t block those who want to explore opportunities
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 10, 2023
McVay could’ve joined the Amazon broadcast team last season if he had wanted to but ultimately chose to return to the sidelines. He will reportedly be pursued by TV networks once again, so he will have his fair share of options if he decides to hang up his headset. With that in mind, here are five candidates the Rams must pursue if Sean McVay walks away.
No. 5 Head coach candidate the LA Rams must pursue if Sean McVay leaves: Shane Waldron
Besides putting players in a position to succeed and win, Sean McVay has shown the ability to develop coaches. Under his tutelage, Many of his assistants have gone on to earn promotions with other clubs.
Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers), Zach Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals), and Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Chargers) stand out the most because they got head-coaching jobs but they’re not the only assistants that have flourished under McVay’s tutelage.
Shane Waldron was the Rams’ tight ends coach in 2017 and was promoted to passing game coordinator in 2018. He also served as the Los Angeles quarterbacks coach in 2019. He was hired by the Seattle Seahawks to become their offensive coordinator in 2021 and is a big reason for Geno Smith’s late-career surge in 2022.
The Hawks’ offense ranked 20th in points scored in Waldron’s first season as their coordinator. However, you could make the case that a disgruntled Rusell Wilson, not Waldron, was the biggest reason for their inability to put points on the scoreboard. After all, Seattle’s offense ranked ninth in points scored with Smith at the helm this past season.
It’s hard to tell if Waldron will be a hot name in the next hiring cycle but it would make sense for the Rams to get in touch with someone who has close knowledge of the current roster and has previously worked for them.
No. 4 Head coach candidate the LA Rams must pursue: DeMeco Ryans
Not every good NFL head coach was a good player. Heck, some of the best coaches in league history didn’t play beyond the college level. Conversely, not all great players can make the transition to the coaching ranks. Having said that, there are those that have successfully made the leap and former Pro Bowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans seems to be next.
Ryan has steadily been moving up the coaching ladder after a stellar career as a player with the Houston Texans and the Philadelphia Eagles. A first-round pick by the Texans in 2006, Ryan played 10 seasons in the NFL and earn two Pro Bowl nods.
Once Ryan’s playing days were over, he joined the San Francisco 49ers’ coaching staff as a quality control coach in 2017. He was then promoted to linebackers coach in 2018 and later to defensive coordinator in 2021.
Ryan landed an interview for the Minnesota Vikings’ head-coaching opening in 2022 but he chose to return to the Niners. His success’ leading San Francisco’s defense has made him a coveted candidate in this hiring cycle. The Texans already reached out to him to interview for the vacancy left following the dismissal of Lovie Smith but declined the offer.
Given that Ryan will get offers from more stable franchises, it’s easy to see why he decided to shun the team he originally played for. Ryan has a strong defensive background but coaching takes more than X’s and O’s. He has the leadership skills and emotional intelligence to be the LA Rams’ next coach and if can pair himself with a bright offensive coordinator, he could be precisely what they need in the post-McVay era.
No. 3 Head coach candidate the LA Rams must pursue: Jim Caldwell
You could tell anyone who’s willing to listen that Jim Caldwell was the most underrated head coach during the 2010s and everyone would most likely nod in agreement. After all, Caldwell took the Detroit Lions to the playoffs in two of his four seasons at the helm. The Lions didn’t think it was good enough though and gave him the boot following the 2017 season.
But as the saying goes, it isn’t always greener on the other side and Matt Patricia proved to be a subpar replacement, going 13-29-1 before being dismissed in the middle of the 2020 season.
Going back to Caldwell, you would think that teams are lining up to interview him, especially when you take into account that he was the head coach when the Indianapolis Colts made the Super Bowl in 2009. However, that hasn’t been the case.
Caldwell has been out of football since the Lions let him go. He was the quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach for the Miami Dolphins in 2019 but that’s the only NFL-related position he’s held since 2018.
Even though Caldwell has interviewed for a few head-coaching openings in recent years, most recently the Jacksonville Jaguars last offseason, nothing has materialized. It’s hard to tell if he will be on demand in this coaching cycle but he’s proven he can take over an underwhelming team and turn it around, which is precisely what the LA Rams need after going 5-12 in 2022.
No. 2 Head coach candidate the LA Rams must pursue: Shane Steichen
You could argue that Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen is one of the, if not the, hottest head-coaching candidates in this hiring cycle, and nobody would bat an eye. After all, Steichen has helped quarterback Jalen Hurts build a strong case for league MVP honors in 2022. But that’s not the only reason Steichen deserves consideration for a head-coaching job.
Besides getting the most out of Hurts, Steichen played an important role in Justin Herbert’s development when he was the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator, a position he held from 2019 to 2021 and before he joined the Eagles coaching staff in 2022. But there are other reasons the California native will be in demand this offseason.
Philly’s offense ranked third in both total yards and points scored in Steichen’s first season at the helm. Moreover, backup Garder Mishew flashed whenever he was given the chance. Hurts, Minshew and Herbert all have different skill sets. The fact that Steichen was able to put them all in a position to succeed should be appealing to the LA Rams and any team interested in his services.
Matthew Stafford already said that he plans to return to Los Angeles following a season marred with injuries and if that turns out to be the case, pairing him with Steichen would be smart. On the other hand, if the Rams plan to move in a different direction, Steichen could bring his own quarterback. Either way, they would have options and all of them would be viable with Steichen at the helm.
No. 1 Head coach candidate the LA Rams must pursue: Sean Payton
If Sean McVay does decide to walk away, replacing him may prove to be a tall order. However, Sean Payton could be up to the task. You have probably read that Payton wants to return to the NFL after retiring not long ago. While New Orleans still holds his rights, the LA Rams could work out a deal and acquire the Super Bowl winning-head coach.
The Chargers have been named as a potential landing spot but that’s not the only Los Angeles team insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Media has previously floated the idea of the Rams making a push for Payton if McVay retires.
Of course, the Rams wouldn’t be the only club interested in Payton’s services. Teams such as the Denver Broncos or the Arizona Cardinals could also be potential suitors. On the other hand, Los Angeles can fulfill his salary demands and give him as much control as possible without undermining general manager Les Snead.
The Rams don’t have a first-round pick in the 2023 draft and may have a limited budget to sign players in free agency. However, Snead has shown he’s capable of replenishing the roster on a yearly basis, so that shouldn’t be an issue when making a potential pitch to McVay.
Whoever the Rams hire will be held to highly absurd standards. After all, Los Angeles was a contender with Sean McVay at the helm and his successor will be asked to deliver results right off the ball, so why not bring someone who has also had success coaching in the NFL?