LA Rams HC Sean McVay retirement may be closer than you think

Here’s a sobering thought for LA Rams fans that may be more relevant than you may think. We can agree that the LA Rams roster right now has a window of opportunity that is open right now. That window is open because this team has the likes of Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp, and even Bobby Wagner on the roster. The group of elite talent is like the sweetest cake icing on the Rams roster cake.

But even the sweetest icing is merely a flourish to the cake that is the Rams roster, and that cake had fallen weeks ago. Fallen to injuries, fallen to decisions of who to start that seem very questionable when they suit up and play.

But the Rams have more than today to think about now, or perhaps always have and we are only paying attention to it with the latest wave of injuries and poor NFL performances. In the latest interview on the Roku Channel’s Rich Eisen Show where the host interviewed NFL Insider Albert Breer and talked about the timeline of the LA Rams and how long the window of their core players competing.

In a good year, that window could remain open for several years. But this is not a good year, and that time may come sooner than you think. If the interest of head coach Sean McVay is truly linked to the retention of key veterans, then the timeline for the Rams window and a complete overhaul may be shorter than you think.

A good time to retire?

Professional football is a violent sport, and veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford has been subject to more than his share of violence. He is competing in his 14th NFL season, a mark that certainly begins to pose the question: How much longer? And with his current status in the NFL concussion protocol, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding his future.

That uncertainty is certainly warranted and impacts not only the LA Rams but the Stafford family as well.

Kelly Stafford is understandably upset and quite emotional over the fact that her husband has suffered a concussion. There are significant risks to prolonged play in this game, and with each season that lingers, Matthew Stafford is rolling those dice. At what point is enough truly . . . enough?  I’m not a confidante of Kelly Stafford, but I am hearing that she is ready to call it quits now. Do you hear something else?

If Stafford opts to walk away from the game, a decision that could make a great deal of sense for him, how long before the rest of the best players follow suit? We know that DL Aaron Donald had already given serious consideration to retiring at the end of 2021. We know that without Donald or Stafford, the LA Rams would certainly be at risk of losing HC Sean McVay.

The LA Rams had a competitive edge in the NFL when they were the only team willing to trade future picks for present-day talent. But that strategy is commonplace now. Right now, there are a huge number of NFL offenses that have adopted the LA Rams playbook.

In short, the Rams have gone from a diamond to quartz, and that has taken its toll on the team this year. Perhaps most of all, the Rams have won their ring. Say what you want, but doing so has satisfied the hopes of plenty of Rams players and coaches.

No, the sky is not falling. I’m simply pointing out that there is a logical path here. Player health is a serious concern to players and their families. Both HC Sean McVay and DL Aaron Donald flirted with retirement after winning SB LVI, and McVay has since married. Professional football consumes a lot of time and energy, and that must be weighed against spending time with and raising a family.

The Rams are not ‘done’ by any means. But the aching hunger for success may no longer be the strongest motivator in the lives of many Rams players and coaches. Legacy is not just what someone accomplishes in the NFL record books, but it includes family and quality of life. Ultimately, that may be the opponent that wins out.