NFC West: Rams extend coach and GM; 49ers hiring new DC

A pair of the Seattle Seahawks' NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, have been busy with moves.

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Feb 2, 2026, 11:02 AM Updated: 11:03 am

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Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reacts as offensive lineman Kevin Dotson lies on the field after a play during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead have agreed to multiyear contract extensions to stay with the Los Angeles Rams.

The team announced the extensions Monday for McVay and Snead, who have led the Rams through one of the longest stretches of success in franchise history.

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The Rams are 92–57 in the regular season and 10–6 in the playoffs since Snead and owner Stan Kroenke hired a then-30-year-old McVay in 2017, one year after the franchise returned home from St. Louis. The Rams immediately ended a 12-year playoff absence and reached the Super Bowl one year later before winning the franchise’s second Super Bowl title in February 2022.

Los Angeles has had eight winning seasons, seven playoff berths and four NFC West titles in nine years under McVay, the youngest coach to reach the Super Bowl and to win it.

The Rams went 12-5 this season before winning two road playoff games to reach the NFC championship game, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.

McVay said the Rams are optimistic that Matthew Stafford will return for an 18th NFL season, but the team will wait for the quarterback to make his own announcement. McVay said the Rams would love to stick with Stafford if he wants to come back after his MVP-caliber season in 2025.

McVay also confirmed he has hired Bubba Ventrone as his new special teams coordinator. He hasn’t decided who will become his offensive coordinator after Mike LaFleur left to become the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach.

49ers find replacement at DC

The San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris as their new defensive coordinator in hopes of finding a long-term solution to a revolving door at the spot.

A person familiar with the decision said Sunday that Morris will join the Niners to replace Robert Saleh, who left San Francisco to take over as head coach for the Tennessee Titans. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the hiring.

ESPN first reported the decision.

Morris had long been viewed as a strong potential candidate because of his success as a coordinator and his ties to San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan. Morris and Shanahan were on staffs together as assistants in Tampa in 2004-05, Washington in 2012-13 and Atlanta in 2015-16.

Shanahan had initially tried to get Morris on his original staff in San Francisco in 2017 only to be blocked by Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn and has long praised Morris’ ability as a defensive coach.

Morris was fired by Atlanta last month after back-to-back 8-9 seasons as head coach for the Falcons. He previously served three years as head coach in Tampa Bay from 2009-11 with a 17-31 record and was interim coach in Atlanta in 2020.

While he has never made the playoffs as a head coach, he had a successful three-year run as a defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams from 2021-23, helping the team win the Super Bowl in his first season. Morris has extensive experience as a secondary coach and even spent a few years coaching wide receivers in Atlanta.

Morris will be San Francisco’s fifth defensive coordinator in as many seasons. DeMeco Ryans left following the 2022 season to become head coach for Houston before Shanahan cycled through Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen the next two seasons before firing both.

Saleh, who was Shanahan’s defensive coordinator in his first four seasons in San Francisco, returned in 2025 after a failed stint as head coach of the New York Jets and did a good job piecing together a capable defense despite having a unit hampered by injuries to players such as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams.

Additionally, the 49ers announced Monday that team president Al Guido is being promoted to chief executive officer of the franchise.

The 49ers announced the move on Monday at the start of the week that the team is hosting its second Super Bowl. Team owner Jed York had also previously served as the team’s CEO before Guido took over.

York will still remain heavily involved as owner of the team with Guido, general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan all reporting directly to York.

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