The Los Angeles Chargers have fired Brandon Staley per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Not only are they firing Staley but also the GM Tom Telesco. Just the other day I mentioned that it indeed was time and following their historic 63-21 loss to the Raiders, Ownership has agreed.
Not only does the firings come on the wings of the loss, but also after the Chargers lost Justin Herbert for the season. Staley will be remembered for the memorable losses that defied his coaching career with the Chargers.
This marks the first time that the Chargers have fired a coach mid-season since 1988, as Brandon Staley joins Kevin Gilbride as the only two.
“I want to thank Tom and Brandon for their hard work, dedication and professionalism and wish both them and their great families nothing but the best,” said Owner and Chairman of the Board Dean Spanos. “These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly – especially when you consider the number of people they impact. We are clearly not where we expect to be, however, and we need a new vision.”
At the moment its untelling who the Chargers could hire to be their next head coach, but right off the bat… here are some potential candidates: Jim Harbaugh, Bill Belichick, Eric Bieniemy, Ben Johnson or Bobby Slowik. Both of those options would give the team a new vision as the latter has won six Super Bowls with an elite QB. Harbaugh is a former NFL coach who has had success in the college ranks since 2015. Bienenmy might be the most likely candidate for the Chargers, the Commanders Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator lacks what he needs for his system to be successful. He’s been linked to a lot of head coaching jobs in the past and has a history with the Chargers. He began his career with the Chargers.
“Our fans have stood strong through so many ups and downs and close games,” Spanos continued. “They deserve more. Quite frankly, they’ve earned more. Building and maintaining a Championship-caliber program remains our goal. And reimagining how we achieve that begins today.”
The Chargers have some building blocks to be a championship competitor on both sides of the ball. It’s just a matter of using the players to their talent. Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack headline the defense while Herbert and Austin Ekeler are a dynamic duo in the backfield. Telesco has struggled to find good offensive lineman to draft Herbert and because of that he often gets injured. We have seen what Herbert can do when he’s healthy and at his best, now he just needs a coach who knows what he’s doing.
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