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If Sean McVay were to walk away from the sidelines after coaching the Rams in Super Bowl 2022 – his second time in the big game – ESPN would pursue him for “Monday Night Football,” The Post has learned.
McVay would likely be able to command a salary of $10-plus million per year. He could also potentially have top broadcasting options with Fox and Amazon, according to sources.
This week, McVay added some more fire to the idea he could leave the sidelines by saying he would not be an NFL coaching lifer and wants to start a family. He is engaged to Ukranian model/luxury real estate agent Veronika Khomyn.
Subsequently, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport texted with McVay. Rapoport quoted McVay saying, “I’m committed to this team and coaching.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that McVay has two years left on his Rams’ contract, but is in line for an extension from the team. McVay reportedly makes $8.5 million to coach.
Sportico has reported that Bill Belichick is the highest paid coach in the NFL at $18 million per year. That is close to the same number CBS pays Tony Romo per season to analyze games.
The idea McVay could leave for TV could be about giving him more leverage in negotiations with the Rams, but appearing in two Super Bowls by the age of 36 is a pretty good position, already.
While ESPN would be one option, McVay could have even broader TV choices depending on what happens with Fox’s Troy Aikman.
Aikman is negotiating with Amazon about teaming with Al Michaels on its Thursday night package. One scenario would have Aikman splitting his time between his current employer, Fox, and Amazon.
However, if Aikman stayed exclusively with Fox or went full time with Amazon, it would create another slot that McVay would be a top contender. Amazon, in theory, could also just switch gears from Aikman, if McVay were available.
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While The Post has reported Aikman as the top Amazon candidate for months, sources said there was always the surprise candidate emerging – and McVay would qualify. While Michaels, Amazon’s leading candidate for play-by-play, has been opposed to a neophyte candidate, McVay would likely be an exception.
ESPN also has considered going after Aikman and/or Michaels for Monday night.
If McVay’s goal is to set himself for a work/life balance, he may have no better time to capitalize than now. The Rams were in win-now mode this year, which led to trading a plethora of future draft picks.
McVay could see how he likes broadcasting and be perfectly positioned to pick his next coaching job, lining up the financials and the ability to succeed to his liking.
If an ESPN pursuit of McVay were to happen, it would be the second time the network has gone after McVay. In 2020, The Post reported ESPN had conversations with McVay about joining “Monday Night Football.” McVay stayed with the Rams.
ESPN eventually went with Steve Levy, Louis Riddick Jr. and Brian Griese. They are still the lead MNF crew. ESPN has also added the 10 Manningcasts on ESPN2 to its production this year.
“Monday Night Football” is expected to have something of a renaissance in the forthcoming years. ESPN, ABC and ESPN+ will increase the total number of games to 25 by the 2023 season with MNF adding late-season flex scheduling. This will necessitate having multiple broadcast teams.
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