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The Los Angeles Rams enter Week 5 looking to build some momentum after their comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. At 2-2, the Rams have an opportunity to get above .500 for the first time this season when they host the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
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Several stories have emerged this week that are worth exploring further, including Myles Garrett’s return timeline and whether the Rams will be a team to watch ahead of the trade deadline. Let’s get into this week’s Sunday Morning Rams Notebook
Sean McVay Remains a Target for Amazon Prime
It seems as if almost every year there is some speculation around Sean McVay leaving coaching and going into broadcasting. The door opened once again recently when details emerged from the new contract that Kirk Herbstreit signed with Amazon Prime.
According to Andrew Marchand from The Athletic, there is a clause in Herbstreit’s contract that would allow the network to move on from him if Sean McVay were to become available.
“The terms give Amazon flexibility to move on if one of its top targets, like Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, becomes available, according to sources briefed on the decision who were not authorized to speak publicly,” wrote Marchand.
There is some history with McVay and Amazon Prime. Back in 2022, Prime tried to recruit McVay after the Rams went 5-12 and had a disastrous season. According to Marchand, Al Michaels preferred McVay over Herbstreit. However, McVay signed a new contract with the Rams and has remained with the team for the last four seasons.
With that said, McVay was close to leaving coaching for media after the 2022 season.McVay said this himself last year when he went on “Bussin’ With the Boys.”
“I almost quit coaching,” McVay said. “And you can use the narrative that I was gonna go to media or whatever. But the truth would have been, I was quitting. I couldn’t handle the losing. It was almost like a scarlet letter. I mean, there was moments…I was like counting down the days for that season to be over. Like, what a fraud.”
There is some speculation that McVay won’t coach forever. He’s only 40 years old and has been coaching for 10 years. McVay has two kids with his wife Veronika Khomyn, and it’s possible that he leaves coaching at some point to get a better work-life balance.
Still, that doesn’t seem imminent, and the clause in Herbstreit’s contract appears to be more about the network protecting itself and maintaining flexibility. It’s possible that McVay leaves at some point. He could potentially tie himself to Matthew Stafford and leave once the Rams’ quarterback retires.
Mike Sando from The Athletic noted that some who know McVay suspect from afar that something has been bothering him this season. At the same time, with McVay’s input, the Rams just drafted a rookie quarterback in April to take over for Stafford. All of the McVay in the media rumors remain speculation at this point.
Rams Remain Cautious With Myles Garrett’s Return
McVay was supposed to have an update for the media on Myles Garrett on Thursday, but didn’t. The result was some panic that the Rams were hiding more information than they were letting on when it came to Garrett. It was an understandable conclusion given how the Rams have handled the injury since July.
This trade has been a disaster for the Rams. https://t.co/VdXC1OzpJQ
– Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) October 9, 2026
However, McVay’s tone on Thursday when it was brought up was that he genuinely forgot. There were three days between McVay’s first media availability this week on Monday and when he spoke again on Thursday. The Rams’ head coach came ready with an update during Saturday’s media availability.
“He’s making good progress, but what I will say is he’s not ready to say whether we’ll open that window or not,” said McVay. “It’s week to week in terms of how he feels, but I would say it’s more likely that we do not start his clock next week.”
McVay stressed the importance of not just putting Garrett in a position to play, but in a position to return to performance. In Week 1, Garrett was in a position to play, but after the game he told the media that he didn’t feel like himself. The Rams will continue playing it safe with Garrett, which is how they’ve generally handled the situation since July.
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While Garrett is eligible to return to practice next week ahead of the Rams’ game against the Arizona Cardinals, it doesn’t appear that he will. If you’ve followed our coverage here on Rams On SI, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
A few weeks ago, it was reported by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport that Garrett was given a six-week timeline following his arthroscopic knee surgery. However, last week, Jonathan Jones of The Athletic reported that Garrett could return for Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Since the beginning, Garrett has been determined to beat the timeline, but that doesn’t mean the Rams aren’t going to continue erring on the side of caution. Four weeks always seemed optimistic, with five weeks being more realistic, and six weeks being a worst-case scenario.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens with Garrett, but waiting another week to open his practice window provides the Rams with more flexibility. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams open his practice window ahead of the game against the Raiders, see how his knee responds, and then decide whether to activate him to the roster. Much like with Aaron Donald on the Commissioner’s Exempt List to begin the season, the Rams have some flexibility.
Rams Have Limited Options at the Trade Deadline
The NFL trade deadline is about a month away, but don’t expect the Rams to make any big splashes. Unless the situation drastically changes, it would be a surprise if they made a significant move. There are two main reasons for this, along with how the Rams’ front office and coaching staff may view their situation.
After signing Eric Kendricks to the practice squad this week, the Rams only have around $981k. That’s almost half as much as the next closest team. That little cap space makes it very difficult for the Rams to do anything via trade. It might not even be possible for the Rams to make it through the rest of the season on that number. At some point, they may have to rework a contract to open up some cap space, but their current financial situation makes a trade unlikely.
Additionally, the Rams don’t have the draft capital available to make a big trade. While the Rams have a second-round pick in 2027, if they were to move that, they wouldn’t pick until the fourth round. It’s possible they could look to move picks in 2028 like the Baltimore Ravens did when they acquired Cam Jurgens from the Philadelphia Eagles last week. However, the Rams don’t have a second-round pick, and moving their first would put them in a difficult spot.
It’s possible the Rams don’t see their roster in a spot where they need to make a trade to get over the top. The front office and coaching staff will likely see Myles Garrett and Terrance Ferguson returning from injured reserve as in-season additions.
An argument can be made that the Rams need a third wide receiver, but they will see Ferguson as a player to fill that role in the offense. This isn’t to say that a trade won’t happen or that the Rams won’t explore anything. However, it does remain unlikely.
Remembering Mike Ditka
Earlier this week, Mike Ditka passed away at the age of 86. While I never got the pleasure of meeting Ditka, he was a big part of my NFL Sundays growing up. I remember watching Mike Ditka on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, which was a must-watch for me on Sunday mornings. I’ll always remember Ditka as a no-nonsense personality who wasn’t afraid to speak what was on his mind.
This was the GOATED countdown cast
RIP Mike Ditka pic.twitter.com/ejdmTizwh5
– Scotty B (@ScottyBPats) October 10, 2026
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/onsi as Sunday Morning Rams Notebook: Sean McVay Linked to Amazon, Myles Garrett Update, and More.
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Read more UPDATE: Beach hazards statement in place for Northern California until Monday night
This story was originally published October 11, 2026 at 7:47 AM.