NFL Coach Rankings: Where Does Rams' Sean McVay Fit?
While it's fair to wonder just how committed Sean McVay will be to seeing the Los Angeles Rams' retool through if the team has another disappointing season, a 5-12 campaign in 2022 wasn't enough to sink him on a countdown of the top coaches in the NFL.
Ahead of the 2023 season, McVay checked in at No. 7 on our SI/FanNation rankings of the 32 NFL coaches:
"We're still not entirely convinced he won't consider walking away again if this year goes south, but McVay is back for a seventh season after weighing stepping down following a 5-12 season. The 37-year-old has revamped his staff, with Mike LaFleur in as offensive coordinator and a slew of other changes."
Even with a disappointing 2022 season factored in, McVay is 60-38 (.612) with two NFC titles and a Super Bowl on his resume after six years in Los Angeles. Still only 37, McVay's career is very much on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
One person who is sure to one day have a gold jacket as a Hall of Famer is defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who, like McVay, seemed to flirt with walking away after each of the last two seasons. Donald is back for a 10th season, but McVay and the Rams need to be planning for life after the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, which could come as soon as 2024.
Fortunately for the Rams, they will have a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, marking the first time they've had a selection in the top round during McVay's tenure. That assumes, of course, that 2023 isn't McVay's last season in Los Angeles.
Among NFC West head coaches, McVay was the second-highest ranked, with his frenemy in San Francisco, Kyle Shanahan, at No. 4. Meanwhile, Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks came in at No. 12, with rookie head coach Jonathan Gannon dead-last at No. 32.
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