The Los Angeles Rams hired former University of Nebraska head coach Scott Frost as a senior football analyst on Sunday. There is speculation that Frost’s addition is the franchise’s way of preparing for the departure of head coach Sean McVay.

McVay had already toyed with the idea of ​​retiring before the 2022 NFL season began.

In 2017, McVay became the youngest head coach in history. He led the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance in 2018 and ultimately achieved Super Bowl victory in 2021. After the historic 2021 championship season, the reigning champions went 5-12.

“The challenging times that we’ve been through, sometimes you can lose the perspective and the values ​​and the principles that really gave you purpose,” McVay told The Athletic’s Jeffe Howe in 2023. “It was never that I didn’t think I wanted to be a coach. It was making sure that you felt like you could have confidence in a plan that reset your perspective and your awareness and your purpose for the things that allow you to love this game. If I wasn’t confident that I could be the best coach and the leader that I wanted to be for our players and our coaches to inspire confident change, that’s the only reason you think about (taking a step back).”

McVay decried the narrative that he would step down as head coach of the Rams due to the team’s abysmal results in 2022.

“Anything in terms of doing other things would have been a convenient story to run away from some challenging times,” McVay said. “I think … when you’re asking your players to be resilient, to persevere, to keep going through tough times, it would have been pretty hypocritical for me not to do some of the things that I’m asking of them.”

McVay was paid a hefty fee by Amazon to become an analyst, which is fitting for someone with such charisma. However, as retirement rumors swirled for two offseasons, McVay led Los Angeles to a 2023 playoff berth.

“The best thing about last year is that there was real adversity,” McVay said on the Green Light podcast earlier this summer. “I think you learn about people. It’s kind of like when you’re in the middle of a storm, how the hell do you deal with that? But I was incredibly proud of that team, and we’ve had a couple other seasons where we might have gone further, but this is probably my most rewarding season as a coach.”

Judging from McVay’s comments, it appears that last season’s success has rekindled the head coach’s love for the game.

Still, the Rams certainly have a qualified backup in Frost if things turn around for McVay. While Frost has never coached in the NFL, he certainly brings successful football experience to the Rams’ coaching staff. He led the UCF football program to an undefeated 13-0 season in 2017.

More News: Rams Hire Former College Coach to Join Staff: Report