The Rams fell well short of expectations this season, being eliminated from playoff contention after their Week 16 loss to the 49ers. Robbie Gould’s 33-yard field goal gave San Francisco the 34-31 victory, sending Sean McVay and the Rams home with little to play for in Week 17 besides their pride.
This is the first time McVay has missed the playoffs in three seasons with Los Angeles, and as a result of this letdown, there could be changes coming to his coaching staff. According to Mike Silver of NFL Network, “multiple sources expect there to be a shakeup on McVay’s coaching staff, perhaps including veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.”
It was reported by Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio on Saturday that Phillips may not be back with the team in 2020 with his contract expiring after this season. With Phillips being 72 years old, it wouldn’t be surprising if he called it a career and retired, either.
Silver could also see changes coming to the personnel department and possibly with Todd Gurley being a cap casualty.
There could also be significant turnover in the personnel department. As for the roster, Gurley’s high salary and declining production may make him a cap casualty, and other key players could be traded or released as the organization builds around Goff on offense and star defensive tackle Aaron Donald on defense.
“I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen,” one Rams veteran said Saturday night, “but I’d expect some major changes around here in the next few months.”
It’s hard to imagine Gurley being cut with his contract structured the way it is, since releasing him this offseason would result in a $25.7 million dead cap charge, whereas his cap hit if he’s on the roster would be less at $17.25 million.
It was a season that fell short of expectations for the Rams, but overhauling the roster seems like a difficult premise at the moment.
