Heading into Super Bowl LVI there were rumors that Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay or defensive tackle Aaron Donald might retire depending on the outcome. While that doesn’t appear to be happening this month, it could happen down the road.
On Monday, CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora published a feature in which league insiders pointed to a potential exodus of young players and coaches within the next few years. One source said that players and coaches who win a Super Bowl at a young age might retire so as to avoid the burnout of the grindy NFL lifestyle.
“I just don’t see in this day and age, with the money (for head coaches) the way it is and with how it’s been built up over the last 10 years … you’re not going to see coaches coach that long,” said one league source who is deeply connected to a multitude of NFL head and assistant coaches. “Certainly, not as long as they have in the past. It’s wearing on them, the lifestyle and the grind can swallow you up, and if you are lucky enough to have won a Super Bowl, you are really ahead of the deal.”
Another source that La Canfora identified as a “longtime NFL coaching agent” said that the burnout factor is playing a bigger and bigger role. The source said that coaches want to spend more time with their families and raise their kids.
“The burnout factor is very real,” said one longtime NFL coaching agent. “And many of this generation of coaches are more in tune to what would be required of them at home if they want to play a meaningful role in the lives of their kids. I believe there is an evolution of sorts going on with that. I can see that.”
McVay himself might have fallen into that category had the Rams not made the trade for Matthew Stafford. The end result was a Super Bowl title in Stafford’s first year with the team.
“If he didn’t have Stafford I’d say he’d probably look at it (retirement) more seriously,” said one source close to the coach. “Getting Stafford really changed his whole outlook. He really believes in him and it’s showing. But will he seriously coach as long as some of these other people have, I sincerely doubt it.”
Sean McVay very well may step away in the next 3 years or so. And I strongly suspect that others will follow https://t.co/U73ndo3Y0b
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 14, 2022
There have certainly been a number of star players who have opted to end their careers a lot earlier than most anticipated. Quarterback Andrew Luck and wide receiver Calvin Johnson are two of the more well-known names to call it quits after less than a decade.
But we haven’t really seen any of these young coaches in their 30s who have found a lot of early success call it quits yet. Until we see someone like Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Kliff Kingsbury, Matt LaFleur or Zac Taylor hit the golf course in a couple of years, it won’t feel like a trend is starting.
Will we see a larger contingent of young coaches and players retire earlier and earlier in the years to come?
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