The Los Angeles Rams are running a quiet head-coaching incubator, and the 2026 offseason will force ownership to price what that costs. Offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and defensive coordinator Chris Shula are both drawing early interest from teams expected to have vacancies next winter, making Los Angeles one of three organizations—alongside Detroit and Baltimore—carrying multiple coordinators on the HC interview circuit.
Scheelhaase, 33, took play-calling duties in September 2024 after two years as McVay's passing-game coordinator. The Rams ranked 8th in EPA per play through Week 17, 4th in red-zone touchdown rate, and Matthew Stafford posted a 98.4 passer rating despite the second-oldest offensive line in the league by average age. Shula, 38, inherited the defense in January 2024 after Raheem Morris departed for Atlanta. Los Angeles finished 12th in defensive EPA, 6th in third-down stop rate, and held opponents to 19.8 points per game—3.2 points below league average—with a defensive spending rank of 18th.
The dual candidacy creates a structural problem Stan Kroenke hasn't faced since McVay's arrival in 2017. Coordinators under McVay historically leave for head-coaching jobs—Zac Taylor (Cincinnati, 2019), Brandon Staley (Chargers, 2021), Morris (Atlanta, 2024)—but never two in the same cycle. Replacing one coordinator is a January scramble; replacing both simultaneously forces McVay to rebuild his entire coaching nucleus while preparing for a 2026 season in which the Rams will carry $48 million in dead cap from restructured contracts. Team president Kevin Demoff will likely need to present competing retention packages before the 2025 regular season ends, when rival owners begin informal outreach.
Scheelhaase's name circulates among teams prioritizing offensive infrastructure—Carolina, the Giants, and Jacksonville all have ownership groups interested in young play-callers with McVay lineage. Shula draws interest from franchises seeking defensive discipline on a budget; his ability to generate pressure with a $92 million defensive payroll (15th-lowest in 2024) appeals to cost-conscious front offices. Both coordinators are expected to receive formal interview requests during the January 2026 window, assuming the Rams miss the playoffs or exit in the Wild Card round.
The retention math is straightforward: McVay earns approximately $15 million annually, making him the second-highest-paid coach in the league behind Bill Belichick's final New England deal. Scheelhaase and Shula currently earn in the $2.5 million to $3.5 million range—standard for coordinators on playoff rosters—but competing offers will approach $6 million per year if suitors frame them as offensive or defensive anchors. The Rams can match salary but cannot match autonomy, which is what McVay's former assistants consistently cite when explaining departures.
McVay's coaching tree now includes six head coaches across the NFL and college ranks, the most of any active coach under 40. That pedigree helps Los Angeles recruit talent—current safeties coach Aubrey Pleasant turned down a Wisconsin defensive coordinator offer to stay in 2024—but it also creates a perpetual succession cycle. Demoff mentioned during a September 2024 booster event in Manhattan Beach that the team has "learned to plan for coordinator transitions," a tacit acknowledgment that retention is a short-term solution.
The Rams face one additional pressure point: McVay himself. He contemplated retirement after the 2022 season and has hinted at interest in broadcasting once his current contract expires after 2026. If ownership believes McVay's window is narrowing, the value of retaining coordinators diminishes—better to let them walk, reload cheaply, and extract two final high-variance seasons. If McVay commits long-term, the calculation flips: losing both coordinators simultaneously could cost the Rams two years of competitive runway while replacements acclimate.
Watch for movement in three areas. First, whether the Rams extend either coordinator before the 2025 season ends—rare but not unprecedented, as the Eagles did with Jonathan Gannon before his Arizona departure. Second, which ownership groups begin attending Rams games in December 2025, a reliable tell for head-coaching interest. Third, whether McVay makes any public comments about his own timeline during his end-of-season press availability, typically held the Monday after playoff elimination.
The Rams will enter 2026 either with Sean McVay and two new coordinators, or without McVay and a full staff overhaul. Scheelhaase and Shula just clarified which scenario is more likely.
The takeaway
The Rams now house two 2026 head-coaching prospects, creating a retention puzzle that could cost ownership $12 million or two years of offensive continuity.
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