Steve Smith Suggests Sean McVay Could Take Break From Coaching Soon

With so much that he's already accomplished and so many more years to do almost anything he wants, could Sean McVay be positioning himself for time away from the sport?

by Tzvi Machlin

May 29, 2026

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.

Sean McVay is heading into his 10th season as head coach of the Rams and only recently celebrated his 40th birthday. With so much that he's already accomplished and so many more years to do almost anything he wants, could he be positioning himself for time away from the sport?

ESPN analyst Steve Smith Sr. certainly thinks so. Appearing on First Take, the former All-Pro wide receiver pointed out that McVay could take a break from coaching at the end of starting QB Matthew Stafford's career. He reasoned that McVay might want to take a few years to raise his young children and still be young enough to be an elite coach when he's ready to return.

"Coach McVay may take a few years off because he has young children. He's one of those guys who's all-in and becomes a hermit of football when he's in with football - and we all know you can't do that AND be a father, husband, uncle, all that stuff. So you kind of need that time to just get your sabbatical," Smith said.

But this is hardly the first time that someone, somewhere has speculated that McVay might want to walk away from his position. While different reasons have been used in the past, people have been tipping McVay to take a break as far back as his Super Bowl LVI win over the Cincinnati Bengals four years ago.

That being said, the case for McVay to take a break gets a little stronger in the transition away from Matthew Stafford, the most successful starting quarterback he's had. While the sample size is fairly small, he seems to work better with a more experienced quarterback like Stafford than he did with a younger one like Jared Goff.

Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay stands on the sidelines against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

With the Rams making their long-term investment at quarterback clear in the drafting of Ty Simpson, McVay could conceivably take some time off, let Simpson come into his own, and kick his development into high gear in a few years from now (or another quarterback if Simpson flops).

But all of this is just speculation. McVay hasn't done or said much of anything to suggest he plans on take a break from football when Stafford calls it quits, let alone anytime soon.

Do you think McVay intends to coach all the way until he retires?