McVay’s stress levels were raised by his inability to replace his coaching staff each season and by the Rams’ brief offseason after their 2025 championship run.

This season with a sprained ankle. Donald, who will be 32 in the fall, strongly contemplated retirement last year after winning his first ring.

McVay’s success riveted the rest of the NFL, particularly after he led the Rams to a Super Bowl loss against New England in just his second season in charge. That led to heavy yearly turnover on his staff: Four of McVay’s former assistant coaches have already become head coaches who have led their teams to the playoffs, and several more assistants have left him for better jobs.

On Monday, McVay lost another key assistant when offensive coordinator Liam Coen returned to the same job at the University of Kentucky. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is among the interviewed candidates for the vacant head coaching jobs in Denver and Indianapolis.

But Coen’s departure opens the door for McVay to hire a strong offensive coordinator who could take some of the burden off McVay, an offense-minded coach who calls the Rams’ plays. McVay’s hard work was no match for the Rams’ injuries this season: Los Angeles finished last in the NFL with 280.5 total yards per game.

That struggle to reload his coaching staff each season contributed to McVay’s stress, and the short offseason following the Rams’ championship run last year led to a haphazard offseason that left McVay notably uncomfortable last summer.

He still began a new season with optimism _ but the Rams were blown out by Buffalo in their season opener, and a cascade of significant injuries soon unraveled any hopes of contention for a Super Bowl repeat.

The Rams were 27th in scoring with 18.1 points per game, lifted up mostly by a 51-point performance in a Christmas victory over Denver that cost Nathaniel Hackett his job with the Broncos.