Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed that he nearly stepped away from the team after their disappointing 5-12 season in 2022.
“I almost quit coaching,” McVay told the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast. “And you can use the narrative that I was gonna go to media or whatever. But, like, the truth would have been, I was quitting.
“Because I couldn’t handle the losing. It was almost like a scarlet letter. … I was, like, counting down the days for that season to be over. Like, what a fraud.”
The 5-12 mark is the worst record McVay has posted during his nine years as head coach, and the 2022 season was just the second time the team had failed to make the playoffs during his tenure. It came on the heels of the Rams defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
Multiple media organizations approached McVay after the season to try to persuade him to enter the industry, ESPN’s Peter Schrager reported in 2022. However, McVay’s wife, Veronika, convinced him to remain with Los Angeles and continue his coaching career.
“I was trying to rationalize and justify why I should do it,” McVay said. “And it’s like, ‘OK, let’s step away and maybe even come back to coaching.’ … 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’s like, ‘You know, that never really sounded like the kind of 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, 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.'”
Since McVay decided to continue coaching, the Rams have posted a 32-19 regular-season record and made three straight playoff appearances. Los Angeles’ offense ranks second in success rate since 2023, and quarterback Matthew Stafford is second among all quarterbacks in passing yards during that stretch. McVay also helped the 38-year-old secure his first MVP award in his 17th season.
The Rams reached the NFC Championship Game last season but lost to the Seattle Seahawks 31-27 in a thriller. McVay and the club will open their 2026 campaign in Australia against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10.
