Rams GM endorses DC Raheem Morris for head coach jobs

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead began his end-of-season news conference with spontaneous support for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who is interviewing for several head coaching positions.

Morris, who has been the Rams' defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, has served as a head coach twice before: with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011 and as interim coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.

Before taking questions Friday, Snead said he wanted to talk about Morris “because I know he's interviewing for almost every head coaching job in the NFL right now.”

Morris has interviewed or been asked for an interview by the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. This past offseason, Morris interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts for their head coaching opening.

“No. 1, I think we all know, [he’s a] He's a great human being,” Snead said. “This guy is coded to respect everyone, to build a relationship with everyone, no matter where you are in the organization. The great thing is that by doing this you see the respect coming back in his direction. It's coded for that. It’s a superpower that I think could help any organization. »

Rams head coach Sean McVay said during his interview with Morris for the 2021 defensive coordinator position that he spent time trying to convince Morris to take the Rams job instead of going to Jacksonville to coach the Jaguars.

“But what I remember is as soon as we were able to sign him, there was immediate enthusiasm from everyone he touched in this building, whether they were players , coaches. [or] “, McVay said. “And he has this magnetism about him where he just says something different about this guy and he's really special.”

Morris, who was the team's defensive coordinator when they won Super Bowl LVI, helped the Rams reach the playoffs during a season where they chose to move away from several veteran defensive players and to rely instead on recruits. The Rams traded star cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins and parted ways with linebacker Bobby Wagner, linebacker Leonard Floyd, defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson and nose tackle Greg Gaines.

Snead highlighted Morris' “unique football sense” as he has coached in both defensive and offensive rooms, something “few coaches on the planet” can say.

“He’s going to give any organization an edge with his collaborative spirit,” Snead said. “It's going to be an advantage that most teams can't compete with. I know he'll be able to hire an incredible staff. Every coach that's good, that's qualified, is going to do it. I want to work for Raheem. And I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of tampering accusations because almost every NFL player is going to be texting him and wanting to come play for him.

And perhaps most importantly for a head coaching candidate, Morris is “a phenomenal leader,” McVay said.

“He always had such a unique way of leading,” McVay said. “This guy has never had a bad day in his life and then you walk around him and you're like, 'Yeah, you can't be like that all the time.' And you're like, 'Holy… He really is like that all the time.' He has so much energy, so much authenticity, he can be demanding of people.

“He's really a great person. He has incredible ability for this game and the ability to be able to teach in a digestible way. I can't say enough good things about him in terms of what he means to me.”

The Rams would receive a compensatory third-round pick for two years if Morris is hired by another team under the Rooney Rule.