The stunning turnaround of the Los Angeles Rams franchise can be traced to when Sean McVay was hired as head coach in early 2017. With general manager Les Snead aggressively pursuing veteran roster upgrades throughout the year, the Rams have won two NFC West titles and an NFC championship since McVay took over.
As both get ready to lead their third Rams Training Camp together, the team announced on Friday that McVay’s and Snead’s contracts have both been extended through 2023.
The Rams’ success means the extensions of both McVay and Snead are hardly surprising. In a statement accompanying the announcement, owner Stan Kroenke reaffirmed that he sees the two in their current roles for at least the near future:
“These are two well-deserved extensions for Sean and Les. Their work ethic, leadership and character are traits we value throughout all our organizations. Sean, Les–along with (Chief Operating Officer) Kevin Demoff, (Vice President of Football and Business Administration) Tony Pastoors and our entire football and business operation staffs–are committed to building a world-class organization and bringing a Super Bowl to Los Angeles. These extensions are an integral part of that quest. We look forward to having them lead our team as we play our final year in the Coliseum and prepare for our new stadium at Hollywood Park.
While McVay is primarily responsible for the transformation of the Rams’ offense from one of the league’s worst to one of its best, Snead deserves lots of credit for not only hiring McVay, but also for the elite collection of talent on the current roster.
Snead has been the Rams’ general manager since 2012 but ran into friction with previous head coach Jeff Fisher. Still, Snead drafted future superstars like Aaron Donald and Todd Gurley and traded up to select Jared Goff No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft during Fisher’s tenure.
Since McVay came aboard, Snead has bolstered the roster with veteran pickups like Andrew Whitworth, Brandin Cooks, Marcus Peters, Aquib Talib, Ndomokung Suh, Eric Weddle and Clay Matthews.
The Rams have also been aggressive in extending their core players, with lucrative deals handed out to Donald, Gurley and Cooks in recent years.
With McVay and Snead’s contracts secure for the next five seasons, the primary target for the Rams’ next extension figures to be Goff. Fellow 2016 draftee Carson Wentz, who had an MVP-caliber 2017 season but has dealt with injury throughout his career, recently received a lucrative four-year, $107 million guaranteed extension from the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, there does not seem to be much urgency from Goff to get a deal done.
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