NFL Exec Heard Sean McVay Was Eying Monday Night Football Broadcast Role 2 Years Ago

If Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay ultimately leaves coaching for the broadcast booth, then it will be a long time coming.

"At the combine two years ago, I heard he would leave for Monday Night Football," an NFL team executive said to The Athletic's Mike Sando. "I think he wants to win a Super Bowl. If he wins a Super Bowl, yeah, I can see it."

Sando added that "many other execs" echoed a similar assessment.

This follows a January story from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler in which he polled a group of executives and coaches to predict the next year across the NFL. One NFC executive brought up McVay as a candidate to exit coaching relatively early.

"I think he's trying to get that Super Bowl ring quickly so then he can have options," the exec said. "... If he wants to do TV for a while, he'd be great at it and can always go back and coach any team he wants after that."

Leading up to Super Bowl LVI, McVay acknowledged his priorities extended beyond his current occupation, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner:

"I love this so much that it's such a passion but I also know that what I've seen from some of my closest friends, whether it's coaches or even some of our players, I'm gonna be married this summer, I want to have a family and I think being able to find that balance but also be able to give the time necessary. I have always had a dream about being able to be a father and I can't predict the future, you know? I jokingly say that."

Even though McVay only turned 36 in January, a transition to broadcasting at such a relatively early stage wouldn't be unprecedented.

John Madden was only 42 in his final season with the Oakland Raiders, and becoming a color commentator worked rather nicely for him.

Jon Gruden was 45 when he was fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January 2009, and he eventually returned to coaching in 2018 after working on the Monday Night Football crew.

Especially with the sums of money being thrown around by the NFL's television partners, a highly regarded head coach such as McVay would be foolish not to at least consider the idea.

Winning a Super Bowl title will probably earn McVay a pay raise from the Rams, but he might be able to earn just as much—if not more—by joining the Monday Night Football broadcast.

And he'd be collecting that paycheck while having to work far less than he currently does. What's not to like?