Rams Extend Sean McVay, Les Snead

The Rams will move forward with their Sean McVay-Les Snead partnership for the foreseeable future. Los Angeles announced on Monday the team’s head coach and general manager have each signed an extension.

McVay’s future has been a talking point during recent years with the possibility of a pause from coaching being floated on multiple occasions. Despite recently during 40, he is already a veteran of nine years as an NFL head coach. That stretch has brought about plenty of success for the Rams, and expectations will remain high moving forward.

Snead has been in place since 2012. Each of his first five years in the role of GM produced a losing record, but the McVay hire proved to be a turning point. The Rams have finished above .500 all but once since 2017. During that stretch, they have also reached a pair of Super Bowls, winning one. The highly effective tandem will, to no surprise, remain intact for years to come.

Details on both deals were not disclosed. Nevertheless, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports the joint extensions have the same length. Given the success both McVay and Snead have enjoyed, their respective job securities are certainly not in doubt. Both can be expected to remain in place until they wish to depart the organization.

“As we enter their 10th season together, it is only fitting to reflect on the tremendous success Sean and Les have brought to this franchise, and the indelible impact they have made on Los Angeles and the NFL,” a statement from owner Stan Kroenke reads in part. “They continue to embody the standard of this franchise to compete for championships, consistently delivering a product that our fans and city can be proud of… We are thrilled they will be leading the Los Angeles Rams for years to come.”

Snead’s most recent extension came in September 2022. The 55-year-old worked his way through the scouting ranks early in his NFL career before leading the Falcons’ player personnel department from 2009-11. Snead was then hired as the Rams’ GM, and he is now the league’s sixth-longest tenured staffer in that position. He is in line to continue climbing the list in that regard.

McVay has cemented his status as one of the league’s top offensive minds over the course of his HC tenure. The Rams have posted double digit wins seven times under McVay, who has helped develop several members of his staff on their way to head coaching gigs of their own. The latest example in that regard is Mike LaFleur, who parlayed his OC tenure in Los Angeles into the Cardinals’ head coaching position. With his latest contract now worked out, McVay’s attention will turn to finding a LaFleur replacement.

The Rams were seen by many as a serious Super Bowl contender throughout the 2025 campaign, one which yielded a 12-5 record. Los Angeles edged Carolina on the road in the wild-card round before winning in overtime in Chicago one week later. That set up a rematch with the division rival Seahawks in the NFC title game. Seattle secured a 31-27 victory, ending the Rams’ season. The team has not waited long to make a new commitment to its HC-GM pair.

McVay and Snead have combined to win 102 regular season and playoff games during their time together. That total is second to only Andy Reid and Brett Veach (Chiefs) for active head coach-general manager tandems. Adding further to that total will be the expectation for all involved moving forward.

For now, the future of quarterback Matthew Stafford is unclear. The MVP finalist has not yet decided if he will continue playing in 2026, and losing him to retirement would of course deal a blow to Los Angeles’ offense. In any case, McVay will continue operating on the sidelines with Snead remaining in place in the front office as the Rams look to go one step further next season.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/28/26

Today’s reserve/futures move:

Tennessee Titans

A former sixth-round pick by the Bengals, Trey Hill got into 25 games in Cincinnati, starting three of those appearances. After spending most of the 2024 campaign on the Bengals practice squad, he spent last offseason with the Packers organization, although he ended up being cut loose at the end of the preseason. He later signed with the Bears practice squad, where he spent most of the 2025 season.

 

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/28/26

Two practice squad moves to pass along:

New England Patriots

Patrick Johnson is a new addition in New England, as he spent most of the 2025 campaign on the Eagles practice squad. The former seventh-round pick actually spent the majority of his career in Philly, appearing in 58 games with the organization. He’s garnered 1,902 special teams snaps in his career vs. 615 defensive snaps.

Trent Sherfield is a more familiar face, as he had a stint on the Patriots practice squad earlier this month before getting cut. The veteran wideout brings 124 games of experience to New England, and he’s hauled in 89 career catches for 1,034 yards and six touchdowns. He appeared in 12 games with the Broncos and Cardinals earlier this season, hauling in three total catches.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/26/26

Today’s reserve/futures deals:

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Chargers, DT Teair Tart Agree To Extension

Teair Tart will be staying in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. The veteran defensive tackle agreed to an extension on Monday, ESPN’s Kris Rhim reports.

Tart was on track for free agency this March, but this deal ensures he will not reach the open market. According to Rhim, the sides have agreed to a three-year pact. The deal is worth a maximum of $37.5MM and includes $20MM guaranteed, a massive raise compared to Tart’s previous NFL contracts.

Over the course of his career, Tart has amassed roughly $13MM in earnings. His time with the Chargers has gone well to say the least, though, and a sizable commitment has now been made to demonstrate as much. The former UDFA spent his first four seasons in the AFC South, splitting his time between the Titans and Texans. Tart joined the Dolphins in 2024 but ended up being cut in August. That resulted in a low-cost Chargers deal.

During his first year playing under Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles, Tart handled a rotational role. He did enough to earn another one-year pact with the Bolts last offseason, with a notable bump in pay accompanying it. The FIU product secured $3.5MM guaranteed on his previous deal, one which set him up to handle a full-time starting role. Tart saw a career-high 49% snap share in 2025; he totaled 32 tackles, four pass deflections and one forced fumble along the way.

The 28-year-old was held without a sack in 2025 and has totaled just 3.5 over the course of his career. Tart will not expected to emerge as a major interior presence from a pass-rush perspective over the course of this contract, but he will be leaned on to remain an impactful contributor against the run. Los Angeles ranked eighth in that regard this season, and with Tart still in the fold expectations will be high for the team’s success to continue.

The Bolts recently lost defensive coordinator Jesse Minter when he became the new head coach of the Ravens. Tart loomed as a candidate to follow Minter to Baltimore in free agency, but given today’s news that will not be happening. The Chargers have made a number of draft investments along the defensive interior during recent years. Much of their core at that spot will remain intact, although Otto Ogbonnia‘s rookie contract is set to expire shortly. This Tart investment could point to a free agent departure in Ogbonnia’s case.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/24/26

Here are today’s minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Conference Championship teams not covered in larger posts:

Los Angeles Rams

Seattle Seahawks

Following a season-ending ACL tear to RB2 Zach Charbonnet, the Seahawks are calling up Akers and Jones to assist recently activated running back George Holani in backing up Kenneth Walker for the NFC Championship game.

Broncos Activate C Luke Wattenberg From IR; RB J.K. Dobbins Ruled Out

After losing him for the final couple weeks of the regular season and missing him in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Broncos have activated starting center Luke Wattenberg off their injured reserve in time for tomorrow’s Conference Championship. In a corresponding move, the team placed quarterback Bo Nix on IR following his season-ending ankle injury.

After playing every snap of the season through 15 games for the Broncos, Wattenberg appeared on the injury report leading into Week 17 with a shoulder issue. Ultimately, it was determined that he would need to be placed on IR with the possibility that he may be able to make a return at about this point of the playoffs.

Denver turned to backup center Alex Forsyth, a third-year lineman taken out of the seventh round from Oregon, to take over in Wattenberg’s absence. Forsyth had previous subbed in as a starter for four games that Wattenberg missed in 2024, as well. In his role as the backup center, Forsyth ended up having some injury issues himself. In both his Week 18 and Divisional Round starts, third-string center Sam Mustipher was tasked with filling in for a couple snaps in place of Forsyth.

Now Wattenberg returns to close out the season for the Broncos, who are limping along at this point after the injury to Nix. The team is also without veteran running back J.K. Dobbins, who was officially ruled out yesterday and will remain on IR, per Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette. Additionally, second-leading wide receiver Troy Franklin seems to be trending in the wrong direction as he attempts to work through a hamstring injury.

As a result, the Broncos are utilizing their two standard gameday practice squad elevations to call up wide receivers Michael Bandy and Elijah Moore for Sunday’s game. Moore was called up last week, as well, but has still yet to make his Broncos debut. According to Tomasson, Moore was aware that he wouldn’t be playing last week and that the elevation was just a way of rewarding him with a full game check. Franklin’s hamstring issue opens the door, though, to some potential playing time for taxi squad pass catchers.

Though the offense isn’t at 100 percent, it’s the Broncos defense that’s gotten them this far. They’ll need that side of the ball to hold off the visiting Patriots enough to allow for backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, rookie running back RJ Harvey, and the rest of the offense to find success at this most crucial point of the season.

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