Rams GM Jokes They 'Ruined' Sean McVay's Life By Hiring Him at Age 30

The Los Angeles Rams famously hired Sean McVay to become their head coach when he was just 30 years old, making him the youngest NFL head coach in the Super Bowl era. There were skeptics about his age when he was initially hired, but those were quickly swept away as McVay transformed the Rams into a contender and immediately caught the NFL's notice with his offensive schemes.

The Rams' hiring of McVay proved wildly successful. He won Coach of the Year after his rookie season, led them to the Super Bowl in just his second season, and then won the Lombardi Trophy in his fifth season. Though the Rams have achieved the ultimate feats with McVay as head coach, general manager Les Snead says he jokes to McVay that they both changed and "ruined" his life by hiring him at such a young age.

"We hired him when he was 30 years old," Snead said on the Pat McAfee Show. "That story's been written. You reverse engineer it, it's like a no-brainer, should have hired him when he was 29. I've often kidded with Sean that there's no doubt we changed your life for the good, but boy did we probably ruin it as well. It certainly wasn't me. When you're 30 to 39 you can kind of be a professional, but you can still goof around and maybe not have to be a head coach of the Los Angeles Rams."

"We hired Sean McVay when he was 30 years old and we have such a special relationship..

We have this neat chemistry where we can have a boxing match and go have a beer afterwards"

Les Snead #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/gy8ihlJsk6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 18, 2025

Snead jokes about ruining McVay's life, but the toll of the job did cause McVay to seriously ponder walking away from coaching after the 2022 season. McVay faced real burnout and struggled during that disheartening 5-12 season.

Ultimately, McVay decided to stay with the Rams and has found better work-life balance since, and now gets more sleep. His son, Jordan, has also played a massive influence on helping McVay achieve more balance and become present, whether that's helping put his son to bed during the offseason or having breakfast as a family prior to home games.

In turn, McVay has found "renewed purpose" as a coach and the Rams have made two consecutive trips to the playoffs. The Rams have certainly changed McVay's life—much more for the good than the bad.