Sean McVay reveals when and why he almost quit serving as Rams HC

Back in December 2022, multiple stories suggested that Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay could step down from his role to begin working as an analyst for one of the NFL's media partners. 

It appears McVay was closer to leaving the Rams at that time than many outsiders realized. 

Sean McVay felt like a "fraud" during losing season

Per Mike Kadlick of Sports Illustrated, McVay revealed on the latest episode of the "Bussin’ With The Boys" podcast that he considered walking away from the Rams after the 2022 season that the club finished with a record of 5-12. 

"I almost quit coaching," McVay admitted. "And you can use the narrative that I was gonna go to media or whatever. But the truth would have been, I was quitting. I couldn’t handle the losing. It was almost like a scarlet letter. I mean, there was moments ... I was like counting down the days for that season to be over. Like, what a fraud." 

McVay guided the Rams to a Super Bowl LVI victory in February 2022, and he signed an extension with the team later that year after reports suggested he could have made $100M over five years had he joined Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" broadcast crew. The Rams then endured an injury crisis during the 2022 season that included the club shutting quarterback Matthew Stafford down due to a spinal cord contusion after he made a total of nine starts. 

"I remember explaining the situation to my wife, Veronika," McVay said about his mindset after the frustrating 2022 campaign. "'You know, maybe I’ll step away, it's going to be a really tough upcoming season ... here are my options.' Had some media stuff, and if I had done that, I would have conveniently hidden behind that. I would have been quitting."

Sean McVay's wife helped convince him to stay with the Rams

McVay ultimately decided to run it back with the Rams, and he has since guided the club to three straight playoff appearances and to this year's NFC Championship Game. During the podcast interview, he detailed how a chat he had with his wife in 2023 helped convince him to return to the sidelines. 

"...This coincided with her being pregnant with our oldest, Jordan," McVay said about wanting to leave the job at the time. "And I remember I was explaining it, and she just kind of looked at me, and it was very loving and supportive, but ... it really landed the punch. She was like, 'You know, that never really sounded like the leader you wanted to be.' And I was like 'boom.' It hit me like a ton of bricks, and I also remember thinking to myself [that] the most important thing I’ve always wanted to do is 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.' And that was when [I said] I’ll never be able to live with myself if I [do] this."

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Rams as the overall betting favorites at +800 odds to win Super Bowl LXI in February 2027. Perhaps getting his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy once more would help McVay realize he made the right career decision several years ago.