Rams coach Sean McVay explains why he wanted to keep new contract a secret

After leading the Rams to two Super Bowls and a championship in five seasons, Sean McVay ranks among the NFL’s most successful coaches.

Now he is no doubt among the highest paid.

McVay said Tuesday that he has a new contract, and though the Rams did not release details McVay is thought to have received a five-year deal that puts him at or near the top of the NFL coaches’ salary list.

McVay, 36, has compiled a 55-26 regular-season record and is 7-3 in the playoffs, including a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in February in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.

Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ chief operating officer, said in March that McVay and general manager Les Snead were “the architects of this run,” and that both were in line for extensions after the Rams completed their boom-or-bust season with the Super Bowl victory.

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McVay was courted by broadcast outlets after the Super Bowl victory, so the Rams almost certainly moved quickly to reward McVay.

At the outset of training camp, when asked about the status of his contract, McVay said, “We’re in a good place.” He said Tuesday that his answer was in reference to not only his status but also Snead’s.

Asked Tuesday if he had a new contract, McVay acknowledged that he did.

“Les and I have always been a pair,” McVay said. “We wanted to be able to kind of announce that when both of us had gotten done.

“Mine is done. Les is in the process of that. … It is very important for Les and I to have that represented, that we are a partnership and a pair.”

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Last season, McVay reportedly earned about $8.5 million. That put him behind coaches such as Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, who also serves as the team’s general manager, and Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks. Belichick and Carroll reportedly earned $12 million and $11 million, respectively.

In 2018, in his second season, McVay led the Rams to Super Bowl LIII. The Rams lost to the Patriots, but at the outset of 2019 training camp the Rams announced McVay and Snead had signed extensions.

McVay had two years left on that deal. Snead does as well

“It’s only gotten better as we go,” McVay said of the partnership.

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Now the question is, when will the Rams come to terms with Snead, the team’s general manager since 2012?

“I think we’re all on the same page,” McVay said when asked if he monitors Snead’s situation.

“There’s just the natural semantics that need to take place,” McVay said, adding, “I know everybody has the anticipation and expectation that it will get done, but these are things that sometimes take time.”

McVay spoke after the Rams final training camp practice at UC Irvine. The Rams had scheduled to conclude their camp Wednesday with the last of 11 public workouts.

But the Rams instead will have a closed walkthrough before returning to their Thousand Oaks facility.

The Rams had said they would be holding Matthew Stafford out of practice this week to rest his sore throwing arm, but the quarterback unexpectedly has been participating in some drills with success.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

McVay said last week that quarterback Matthew Stafford would not participate in full-team drills. Stafford is dealing with tendinitis in his right elbow.

However, Stafford took snaps Tuesday during the first part of team drills.

“It was a good step in the right direction,” McVay said.

Star cornerback Jalen Ramsey also showed he is in good shape after offseason shoulder surgery and an acclimation period during camp. Ramsey intercepted two passes by backup quarterbacks.

Cornerback David Long and rookie safety Russ Yeast also intercepted passes.

A defense that featured Ramsey, star lineman Aaron Donald and linebacker Bobby Wagner dominated the final day of workouts.

“We have a long, long way to go,” McVay said. “We’re not anywhere close to where we need to be. Nobody needs to press the panic button, but we got to start having a little bit more sense of urgency overall, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.”