In a move that some would argue should have been made weeks ago, the Los Angeles Chargers fired head coach Brandon Staley on Friday morning. The decision comes on the heels of an embarrassing 63-21 loss to the division rival Raiders on Thursday night, moving the team to 5-9 and into dead last place in the AFC West. At the time of writing, the team had yet to name an interim head coach for the final three games of the season.
Chargers Coaching Job Will Be Coveted During Hiring Cycle
The #Chargers are cleaning house after last night’s disaster, firing coach Brandon Staley and long-time GM Tom Telesco, sources say. pic.twitter.com/iaW5kYqCie
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 15, 2023
Staley’s record with the team wasn’t terrible on paper. He finished with an even .500 record at 24-24 in 48 games, but it was the failure to live up to expectations that was the ultimate doom. The Chargers have had one of the more talented rosters in the league during the past few seasons, but haven’t been able to put much of anything together in the way of winning anything meaningful.
Despite having Justin Herbert at his disposal throughout his tenure, Staley was only able to lead the Chargers to one playoff appearance. It was just the third postseason appearance for the team since 2009, so the coach got some credit for taking a step in his second season at the helm. But the result in the wild card game in early 2023 was the blown 27-point lead to the Jaguars, which put Staley right back on the hot seat to begin the 2023 regular season.
Herbert Has Had 3 Offensive Coordinators In First 4 Seasons
Our full segment as the news broke on The Insiders on #NFLPlus: Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco are out, as the #Chargers seek new leadership and a new vision for how to bring a championship to L.A. pic.twitter.com/BDJao01hmQ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 15, 2023
With Herbert out for the remainder of the season and the Chargers eliminated from any type of postseason contention, the interim coach won’t last long. The team will start their search for a head coach immediately, and they are one of the teams that can get an early jump on eyeing certain candidates.
And based on their currently roster construction and situation, there won’t be many head coaching jobs around the NFL that are more coveted than the one in Los Angeles. There are still other head coaches that will be fired at the conclusion of the season, and it is possible that jobs in New England and Dallas become available. But those may be muddier situations with owners that tend to command more control, and the Chargers may be seen as the optimal destination during the coming hiring cycle.
It wasn’t just Brandon Staley who was let go, as the team made sweeping changes on Friday morning. General Manager Tom Telesco has been let go after 9 year with the Chargers.
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