The Rams very well may need to make a splash with their coaching hire in Los Angeles, but will also reach out to less experienced and high-profile options, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Two younger coordinators without head coaching experience -- Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan -- are well thought of there and likely to be part of the process, sources said. And, like pretty much every team contemplating a coaching change, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is appealing to them (McDaniels spent one year in St. Louis as a coordinator with the Rams before they moved to Los Angeles and has ties to several people still with the franchise).
With the prospects of potentially luring someone like former Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden or trading for a Lombardi-winning coach like Sean Payton are very real considerations for the Rams, sources said the team intends to conduct a thorough search that will not solely focus on one particular profile. While the process ultimately may end up with the Rams landing someone like Gruden or Payton, far less experienced coordinators will be given the opportunity to interview.
It would be a surprise if the Rams do not hire someone with a keen understanding of cutting-edge offensive football and the pedigree to turn former first-overall pick Jared Goff into a franchise quarterback. Developing that position and playing an attractive brand of football are vital to getting fans and corporate sponsors to sustain a buy-in on this product. The Rams will play two more seasons at the Los Angeles Coliseum before they move into their state-of-the-art stadium currently under construction in Inglewood, Calif.
Josh McDaniels has said he wants to be a head coach again. And yet another NFL team is beginning to express interest in interviewing the New England Patriots offensive coordinator.
McDaniels is among a handful of candidates for the Los Angeles Rams vacancy at head coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Rams have looked into Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, who square off Saturday in Buffalo, as well as offensive coordinators Josh McDaniels of the Patriots and Kyle Shanahan of the Falcons, sources said.
The Patriots coordinator was the Broncos’ head coach from 2009 to 2010. He went 11-17 in Denver. He joined the St. Louis Rams in 2011 as the offensive coordinator. The Rams organization clearly still thinks highly of their former offensive coordinator.
“I think both Josh and [defensive coordinator] Matt [Patricia] are great coaches who should absolutely be on any head-coaching list,” Belichick said of his two coordinators. “I can’t imagine that there are many other coaches that could present a résumé equal or comparable to theirs. They’ve done a great job here for a sustained period of time, so great track record. I personally think that a list of head-coaching candidates that didn’t include them would be incomplete.”
Two names from way out in left field that were floated on Saturday by NFL.com: Sean Payton of the Saints and ... Ron Rivera of the Panthers?
The two NFC South coaches were mentioned independently of one another. Payton has been a name that has previously been associated with the Rams, primarily because the Saints aren't expected to ask for much in a trade exchange.
Payton, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, "is monitoring with sincere interest" what the Rams do with their coaching position. The possibility of Payton to the Rams was described as "not imminent or likely but 'possible.'"
The Rivera thing is really out there. Just last June, the Panthers coach signed a new extension with the club and got a huge raise after taking Carolina to the Super Bowl. Rivera is comfortable in Carolina and well-liked within the club and the community.
Here's the logic from NFL.com: the Rams are "in need of discipline in a city with a large Hispanic population" and he would qualify as a "splash hire."
The biggest problem here? The Panthers aren't going to give up Rivera for nothing. Oh wait, no that's the second-biggest problem. The biggest problem, as pointed out in the original report is it's "not certain Rivera would want to leave Carolina."
There are many hurdles here, honestly.
Los Angeles already lost its first-round pick next year to the Tennessee Titans after trading up to land Jared Goff. That's going to be a top-10 pick barring the Rams winning out.
Rivera might get asked about this in the next 24 hours -- it's wouldn't be surprising if he answered a question about the rumor with a high level of disdain.
Everything is in play during the silly season that is coaching searches and rumors, but it's highly unlikely the Rams are poaching Rivera from the Panthers this offseason. Even Payton is a stretch considering the requirements to make it happen.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com called Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera a “name to watch” earlier on Saturday, referring to the open coaching seat for the Los Angeles Rams. While many call it a ridiculous notion for several reasons, the rumor persists because Rivera is a hot coach and LA a hot location. Ultimately, until the spot is filled, Rivera will likely have his name linked with the job.
But Rivera’s agent, Frank Bauer, shot down the idea of any contact between the two parties when speaking to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
“It’s news to me,” Bauer said. “There hasn’t been any contact, Ron’s super happy where he’s at.”
Given that Carolina has Rivera under contract, the Rams wouldn’t necessarily have to contact the coach for permission first unless there was a no-trade clause in his deal. Ultimately, L.A. would simply have to make an interesting enough offer to the Panthers to get things underway.
The Rams could be simply be window shopping and talking to teams about who might be available to get a full list of potential candidates. This looks to be the case as New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is also a name of interest in the search, as well as ESPN analyst Jon Gruden, former coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders.
Many potential names will be linked with the Rams in the offseason as they do the due diligence on the process. However, if you believe Rivera’s agent, he isn’t a part of it.
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