Sean McVay is gearing up for Year 8 of his head-coaching tenure with the Los Angeles Rams, but don't tell him that. The veteran coach -- albeit at age 38 -- admitted he's feeling rejuvenated as the Rams are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of their quasi-rebuild and is feeling as fresh as a rookie because of it.
"You know what's cool? Being around this group, and especially even last year, it feels like it's Year 1 again," McVay recently told the official team website, via NFL.com. "And I really mean that."
This is quite the swing from McVay considering where the coach's headspace was at not too long ago. After the team's Super Bowl LVI championship, speculation grew about McVay possibly stepping away from the game altogether. However, McVay ultimately stuck around and has been able to help orchestrate a turnaround in L.A. that has the Rams on the cusp of again pushing for a deep playoff run, particularly after a 2023 season where they got back to the postseason as a wild-card entry following a 10-7 regular season.
"I feel like these last couple of years, there's really just been a real renewed purpose and perspective that reminds you what a blessing this is," McVay, who became a father last year, said. "You kind of had lost that a little bit in the midst of the journey, especially things going well and then obviously, the challenging year in '22.
"There's a lot of cool things that have gone on with the people that I'm around, the coaches, but having that little guy, too, is a real easy reason to keep appropriate perspective and to make sure you're being the man and the model and what it looks like for him every day."
While Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp are some holdovers from the Super Bowl-winning club, the Rams' rebuild has been jumpstarted, thanks to general manager Les Snead and the front office hitting on some young prospects. That includes wideout Puka Nacua, running back Kyren Williams and defensive tackle Kobie Turner, who all have quickly developed into key starters. Couple that with the arrivals of rookie defensive linemen Jared Verse and Braden Fiske along with a slew of veteran free agents like corner Tre'Davious White and safety Kamren Curl, and the Rams have the makings of a playoff team in 2024.
One challenge that McVay will face in 2024 is trying to recoup the production left by Aaron Donald, who retired this offseason. That said, this new young core does seem to have McVay buying into his team's ceiling, and soon enough we'll see how high that ceiling is.
