Los Angeles Rams rookie edge rusher Jared Verse recently joined The Rich Eisen Show, offering fans a candid glimpse into his transition to the NFL—and the moment it truly hit him that he wasn’t in college anymore. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a bruising tackle or getting beat on a play that gave Verse his “Welcome to the NFL” moment. It came from none other than head coach Sean McVay.
Most players experience that first humbling moment when their speed, size, or swagger meets the hard reality of the NFL. For Verse, that moment came during a team practice when his signature intensity and trash talk rubbed McVay the wrong way.
Jared Verse Shares His Eye-Opening “Welcome to the NFL” Moment with Los Angeles Rams
“We start doing the full team workouts, and I was going crazy,” Verse told Eisen. “I was getting through the offense, getting to [Matthew] Stafford, getting to running backs. I was stopping the edge, all that stuff—and the way I am, I let everybody know. So I’m loud, I’m screaming…”
McVay initially gave Verse a warning: “‘Hey, we don’t do that here,’” Verse recalled. But the rookie didn’t stop. “Coach said, ‘Stop.’ McVay just stopped… he’s like, ‘Stop that. We don’t do that here. These are your teammates.’ He really got on me.”
After the intense exchange, McVay pulled Verse aside and clarified that the team loved his energy—after all, they drafted him in the first round—but emphasized that the Rams are a family, and that respect for teammates is non-negotiable.
McVay is more known for his congenial personality than a tough guy football persona, but since day one, McVay has preached culture above all else. In the early days, his we, not me mantra was heralded as it served as a contrast to the more stark, “Do your job” version from the highly successful Bill Belichick New England Patriots.
McVay wasn’t scolding the energy, but reinforcing his stance on the culture he meticulously built, recognizing the importance of ensuring team cohesion over an individual’s exploits.
It was a pivotal lesson, and one Verse didn’t take lightly.
“That was my welcome to the NFL moment,” he said. “McVay kinda telling me this is how it is.”
The story underscores what the Rams saw in Verse beyond the pass-rushing prowess: he’s coachable, self-aware, and team-first. McVay didn’t shut down Verse’s passion; he redirected it.
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