Sean McVay’s coaching tree is growing remarkably fast

Sean McVay has been a head coach for four years, yet despite being hired by the Rams in 2017, he’s still the NFL’s youngest head coach. At 34 years old, McVay has had incredible success in Los Angeles, leading the Rams to the playoffs three times and one Super Bowl appearance.

But what’s just as impressive as what McVay has accomplished on the field is how many opportunities he’s created for others on his coaching staff. McVay said last year that he’s “too young to have a coaching tree” after helping pave the way for Matt LaFleur and Zac Taylor to become head coaches.

But looking at it now, that’s hardly the case. McVay’s coaching tree is growing by the year, sprouting another branch this week with Brandon Staley being hired as the Chargers’ head coach.

Here’s a look at the three former assistants of McVay’s who went on to head-coaching gigs.

Matt LaFleur

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LaFleur only spent one season with McVay in Los Angeles, but their relationship goes way back to when they were on the same staff in Washington. In 2017 with the Rams, LaFleur was the team’s offensive coordinator – though he didn’t call the plays. That year, the Rams finished first in the NFL in points scored and 10th in yards, which were good bullet points to put on LaFleur’s resume. He helped Jared Goff that year, too, taking him from a disastrous rookie season to a Pro Bowler in one season. LaFleur bolted for Tennessee after the 2017 season and became the Titans’ offensive coordinator, a job that afforded him the chance to call the plays. After a one-year stay in Tennessee, he was hired as the Packers’ head coach and has gone 28-7 (including the playoffs) since then. His Packers will play the Buccaneers in the NFC championship on Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

Zac Taylor

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Taylor stayed in Los Angeles one year longer than LaFleur did. He started out as the assistant wide receivers coach in 2017 before being promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2018. Continuing to help Goff improve was a critical part of the job and Taylor did just that. Goff made the Pro Bowl for the second straight season, throwing a career-high 32 touchdown passes with 4,688 yards and a passer rating of 101.1. It was the best season of his career thus far, and Goff has regressed since Taylor left the Rams. Taylor didn’t take a year away from Los Angeles before being hired as a head coach the way LaFleur did. He went straight from QBs coach to head coach of the Bengals when he was hired by Cincinnati in 2019. The last two years have been bumpy, though, as the Bengals went 2-14 and 4-11-1. The offense has stalled out and some mentioned Taylor as being on the hot seat, but he’ll get another chance to improve with Joe Burrow next season.

Brandon Staley

(AP Photo/Greg Beacham)

McVay hired Staley to replace the legendary Wade Phillips last offseason, a move that caught many people by surprise. He had only been an outside linebackers coach prior to this opportunity, but he exceeded all expectations. The Rams had the No. 1 defense in the NFL this season under Staley’s guidance, ranking first in points allowed, yards allowed and passing defense. It’s hard to criticize anything Staley did this season, elevating the play of guys like Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd and Darious Williams. He was hired this week as the Chargers’ head coach, completing his rapid rise from former Division III coach at John Carroll to NFL head coach. He shouldn’t be expected to immediately turn the Chargers into the league’s best defense, but Staley has the pieces in place with the likes of Joey Bosa and Derwin James, among others.