Could Sean McVay retire early, move to broadcasting if Rams win Super Bowl?

Sean McVay has led the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl in two of his five season as head coach. At the time of his hire in 2017 McVay was the youngest individual (age 30) to earn the title of head coach in NFL history - and five years later he is still the youngest lead man active in the league.

Could a victory in Super Bowl LVI be enough for him to hang up the head set earlier than expected? Would an early retirement and career change to broadcasting or TV commentary allow McVay time to accomplish other goals he has for life?

It goes without saying how important McVay is to the Los Angeles franchise - and there’s no bigger example of his effectiveness than how he turned one of the worst offenses in football into one of the best in just a single season. Jared Goff had a historically bad rookie season, but McVay put him in position to succeed - helping his quarterback earn Pro Bowl honors in both 2017 and 2018.

It’s no secret that McVay lives and breathes the sport of football, and he’s strived in recent years to strike a better balance between his role with the Rams and his personal life. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the young coach has postponed his wedding multiple times - and the he seems keen on the idea of starting a family.

But talk of McVay making the jump to the broadcasting booth is nothing new. In fact, this conversation has been taken up on an almost annual basis recently - such as these examples from 2020 and 2021. It could be all smoke, a way for McVay to leverage a contract extension or more money from Stan Kroenke and the Rams, or there could be a fire underneath waiting to spread - meaning it’s just a matter of time before the young coach calls it quits.

McVay’s own comments ahead of the Super Bowl don’t seem to suggest that a retirement could happen as soon as this offseason, instead the coach pointed out that he doesn’t see himself in this same role until 60 given his obsessive approach to preparation. He has a understanding of his own motivations, and knows that eventual burnout is a strong possibility.

When asked during Friday’s media session whether he could continue coaching into his 60’s, McVay responded:

“Hell no. No chance. I love doing this, but doing this till 60 - if I’d doing it till 60 - I won’t make it”.

At 36 years old, the Rams coach has a long way until age 60. That does not mean he should be expected to coach the Rams for another 10-20 years, but would McVay really want to jump ship just one season after acquiring Matthew Stafford?

Let’s not lose sight of how just this summer McVay got himself in a little bit of hot water talking about how much happier he is with Stafford quarterbacking his team. When sharing a stage with Stafford at a news conference for the Los Angeles Super Bowl Organizing Committee in June, McVay said:

“I think I’ve been very happy. Everybody says ‘Man, you just seem like you’re in a better mood this offseason’ and I say, ‘you’re damn right I am.’”

It’s fair to say that McVay has his eyes set on life aspirations outside of coaching in the NFL, and he’s had those aspirations for a while. At some point he could make the jump to broadcasting in order to allow more time to start a family - it could even happen as soon as after the Super Bowl Sunday night. McVay’s departure from the Rams is more of a question of when than if, but it’ll be difficult for him to leave behind a team with as much talent as this 2021-22 roster.

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