Getty Sean McVay celebrates during the Rams' Wednesday, February 16 victory parade with Cooper Kupp behind him.
“Run it back” took on a whole new meaning involving the Los Angeles Rams and head coach Sean McVay on Wednesday, February 16.
It was not only a fiery chant McVay directed toward All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald through his retirement rumors, but it also applied to McVay himself — with the NFL world and Ram fans wondering if he was ready to live up to the three words he chanted outside of the L.A. Memorial Coliseum during the Rams’ victory parade.
Well, after 9 p.m. PT on Wednesday, one person close to McVay revealed what his plans are: His future wife Veronica Khomyn.
Is Retirement in the Works?
McVay and his fiancée were enjoying catching up on highlights of the Super Bowl at their home.
But Khomyn took to her Instagram page to post six words that will energize members of the “Rams House” for the rest of the week:
“And no. He is not retiring!!”
The future wife confirms he will “Run it Back.”
There it is. The bride-to-be became the closet public relations officer and just released the statement about the Rams’ head coach’s future.
McVay Dealt With Questions About Future for More Than 5 Days
McVay spent his week leading up to Super Bowl 56 expressing interest in slowing down and starting a family as part of his post big game plans when talking to reporters.
On Monday, February 15 after the 23-20 Rams victory on over the Cincinnati Bengals, McVay was asked if he was planning to retire. His response? “We’ll see.”
Then on Wednesday during the early afternoon hours, McVay was leading the chant for Donald — helping give the notion he and the Rams were trying to convince the All-Pro to come back amid his own retirement rumors.
It sure looks and sounds like Sean McVay and Aaron Donald want to run it back. 😀
Close Colleague Shared What McVay Hinted at Doing
Before enjoying the sights and sounds of seeing the flock of Rams fans from the Shrine Auditorium to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum — their first home in their return to L.A. in 2016 — one man close to McVay began to deliver hints at why McVay considered retirement: Peter Schrager of the NFL Network.
Schrager spent the spring and summer months co-hosting the Flying Coach podcast with McVay — a show that welcomed fellow NFL head coaches including Kyle Shanahan, Arthur Smith, Joe Judge, Mike Tomlin and McVay’s defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Here’s what Schrager mentioned during the Wednesday edition of Good Morning Football:
“Here’s what I will say: We did a podcast this summer that was 10 episodes of us interviewing other head coaches and it was for Bill Simmons and The Ringer and it was on Spotify. And Sean loved it. He had a bite at the apple at doing this at just talking and hosting. The TV stuff is very real. There is a place for him on TV in the future,” Schrager said.
The NFL network personality added how McVay could’ve been attracted to the allure of television as networks endure a transitional phase. Troy Aikman and his Fox contract is up in the air and Amazon will be the new network heading into 2022 for the Thursday night games. Schrager pointed out how the Rams head coach could’ve been the top hire for these networks.
“If Sean McVay enters the fray, you can tear it all down and start all over because I think McVay is the No. 1 hire for all these networks because he’s fresh, he’s 36, he wants to do this thing and he’s coming off a Super Bowl championship,” Schrager said. “It’s very appealing and I don’t think the door is shut on any of that stuff.”
However, here was this scenario that Schrager mentioned before the parade, and could’ve likely played into McVay’s decision to “run it back:” Matthew Stafford.
“He helped lure Stafford there. I don’t think he would ditch Stafford unless they had a really long conversation about it. I think Stafford is the key piece. I don’t think he would leave Stafford high and dry,” Schrager said. “But the TV thing is real.”
There may be no person in sports media who knows Sean McVay better than his “Flying Coach” podcast co-host @PSchrags.
So we asked, is McVay stepping away or what?
“The TV life is very appealing, but…”
But rest assured, the future Mrs. McVay just gave the “Rams House” another reason to celebrate through her Instagram Story.