As Sean McVay grows up, he worries about burning out.
Still the NFL’s youngest head coach at 34, the Rams coach hopes to remain with the team for more than another decade. He’s concerned, however, that he could reach the point where he’s had enough.
McVay explained recently on a podcast appearance with Albert Breer of SI.com that, in the next 10 to 15 years, McVay envisions being exactly where he is, “unless I’ve gotten myself so worked up that I wasn’t feeling good enough to still coach.”
Is burnout a real concern for McVay, who’s entering his fourth year as a head coach?
“Yeah, absolutely it is,” McVay said, via USA Today. “That’s something that I do need to be aware of because if you’re not careful -- I just know the way that I’m going at it, you’re like, realistically, this isn’t the right way to do it, but you’re such a grinder and it’s kind of being able to step back, being still is going to be a key thing. And I am confident that we’ll be able to achieve a better balance and will lead to more sustainability moving forward.”
McVay also believes that, once he’s married and has children, his priorities may shift.
“[W]hat I’ve really seen from a lot of my close friends, once you get into that point where, hey, I’m gonna get married next year, obviously want to be able to have kids,” McVay said. “That perspective of, all right, now you’ve got a real reason to live when you’ve got a family, you’ve got something else. I think that balance and that appreciation for those things where it’s not just all football will help toward a goal of just being able to sustain and be healthier overall.”
Here’s the reality that needs to be considered, given the $18 million per year that CBS will be paying Tony Romo to call games. A guy like McVay, who would be excellent as a game analyst, could make nearly as much money (if not more) by trading coaching for broadcasting. So why not make as much if not more money while putting in far less work and not constantly working and endlessly worrying about the extent to which things you can’t control may bring you down and get you fired?
McVay has a rare combination of intelligence, recall, understanding of the game, and charisma. For him, the transition to broadcasting is a no-brainer. And the networks should start adding his name to their long-range plans, because if he gets to the point where he no longer wishes to continue with the life he’s chosen, he can choose a life that’s much easier -- and possibly more lucrative.