Sean McVay Admits That He Nearly 'Quit' Coaching In His 30s
Sean McVay has proven himself as one of the best offensive coaches in recent memory, and yet, he almost retired in his 30s.
There were rumblings about McVay leaving the Los Angeles Rams for a broadcasting gig in 2022. That surprised fans because he was just a season removed from winning a Super Bowl title.
McVay confirmed this week on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast that he was seriously thinking about leaving the Rams during the 2022 season. He said all the losing he endured that year was too much to handle.
"It took that 5-12 year where you're really getting broken down and I almost quit coaching," McVay said. "You could use the narrative that I was going to go to media or whatever, but the truth would have been, I was quitting because I couldn't handle the losing. There was moments you think about – it's so crazy to me – I was counting down the days for that season to be over. Like, what a fraud."
So why did McVay stay with the Rams? He said it all came down to a conversation he had with his wife, Veronika Khomyn.
"Basically, I was trying to rationalize and justify why I should [step away]. It's like 'OK, let's step away, maybe even come back to coaching. We're going to have a lot of tough decisions to make.' And it coincided with her being pregnant with our oldest, Jordan. She just kind of looked at me, and it was very loving and supportive, but it was like it is only coming from your wife where it really landed the punch and she's like, 'You know, that never really sounded like the kind of leader you wanted to be.' It hit me like a ton of bricks."
The Rams haven't looked back since.
Since their 5-12 season in 2022, the Rams have gone 32-19 with three consecutive playoff appearances.
Although they fell short of making the Super Bowl this past season, the Rams looked like the best team in the league at times. McVay's offense thrived in large part because of Matthew Stafford, who had 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns en route to being named MVP of the league.
While there are questions surrounding Stafford's future past 2026, the Rams aren't exactly worried about the future. They're currently the odds-on favorites to win next year's Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 1:22 PM.