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Sean McVay is not one of five finalists for Coach of the Year
The AP has announced five finalists for NFL Coach of the Year and Sean McVay is not one of them. Should he have been?
The five coaches up for the award are Kevin O’Connell, Sean Payton, Dan Campbell, Dan Quinn, and Andy Reid. O’Connell has already won the award from the PFWA and is the presumptive favorite after the Vikings went 14-3 with Sam Darnold at quarterback.
Of course, McVay’s Rams easily handled O’Connell’s Vikings, a job that KOC has thanks to his years as McVay’s offensive coordinator in L.A..
McVay has not won Coach of the Year since 2017, his first as a head coach, even though that is definitely not his best work. Not only did the Rams win 13 games and reach the Super Bowl in 2018, they also won the Super Bowl in 2021 and then perhaps McVay’s best work came in 2023 after rebounding from a 5-12 season the year before.
Though the Rams did start 1-4 this season, McVay managed to turn the team around after Puka Nacua returned and his pick of Chris Shula as the new defensive coordinator in 2024 was another stellar decision during a career of incredible assistant coach picks.
Not only is KOC up for Coach of the Year, but his tree got stronger in 2024 with the rising stocks of Chris Shula, former OC Liam Coen, and potentially losing another if the Jets tab Nick Calley as their next offensive coordinator and the Bears choose Aubrey Pleasant as defensive coordinator.
McVay may not have won the award even if he was nominated, but pulling the Rams out of the basement and into the division title is another feather in his cap.
Meanwhile, both Braden Fiske and Jared Verse are among five finalists for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
