Sean McVay, two other Rams named to NFL '40 under 40' list

[theramswire.usatoday.com] Sean McVay, two other Rams named to NFL '40 under 40' list

Cameron DaSilva
June 29, 2022 4:00 am PT

The Los Angeles Rams have built a franchise that employs some of the brightest young minds in the sport. That group, of course, is headlined by 36-year-old Sean McVay, the head coach of the defending Super Bowl champions.

But he’s not the only young coach or executive in the Rams’ building. The Athletic put together a list of the 40 best coaches, executives, agents and “other rising stars” under the age of 40, and three members of the Rams made it. In addition to McVay, defensive line coach Eric Henderson and Tony Pastoors, VP of football and business operations, also made The Athletic’s list.

Henderson is widely viewed as a head coaching candidate in the near future, and he’s coming off a season in which he was voted the Defensive Line Coach of the Year in the NFL. Now 39 years old, Henderson has helped maintain a high level of play from the Rams’ defensive line each year, with a little help from Aaron Donald.

Pastoors is the lesser-known architect behind the Rams’ roster, doing a lot of the contract and salary cap work to make sure the Rams can remain competitive while simultaneously giving out lucrative contracts to star players. He also helped get trades done for Von Miller and Matthew Stafford, two cornerstones of last year’s Super Bowl team.

McVay’s placement on this list is obvious, and being just 36, he’ll probably be on it until he hits 40 years old. Already one of the best coaches in football, McVay might just win another ring before leaving his 30s.

Elsewhere, the Rams are well-represented by coaches who are no longer in the building. Zac Taylor and Aubrey Pleasant are also on The Athletic’s list, and both of them were assistants on McVay’s staff before taking on bigger roles elsewhere.