Following a historic loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers fired head coach Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco, in response to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“I need to thank Tom and Brandon for his or her arduous work, dedication, and professionalism, and want each them and their nice households nothing however one of the best,” Chargers proprietor Dean Spanos mentioned in an announcement. “These choices are by no means simple, nor are they one thing I take flippantly – particularly when you think about the variety of individuals they impression.
“We’re clearly not the place we count on to be, nevertheless, and we’d like new imaginative and prescient. Doing nothing within the title of continuity was not a danger I used to be prepared to take. Our followers have stood robust via so many ups and downs and shut video games. They deserve extra. Frankly, they’ve earned extra. Constructing and sustaining a championship-caliber program stays our final objective. And reimagining how we obtain that objective begins in the present day.”
Giff Smith and JoJo Wood have been named the interim head coach and GM, respectively.
Thursday evening’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders is among the most embarrassing defeats in latest reminiscence. The Chargers’ 63 factors allowed have been the most in franchise historical past, and their 42-point deficit was the franchise’s third-largest margin of defeat. So as to add insult to damage, the loss knocked Los Angeles’ playoff odds right down to lower than one p.c, in response to the New York Occasions.
The sport capped off an abysmal stretch for the Chargers’ protection. In Staley’s three years as head coach, the Chargers protection by no means completed increased than nineteenth in defensive EPA/Play and twenty first in defensive DVOA. In 2023, Staley’s protection completed with the fifth-worst explosive passing price allowed regardless of operating a two-high scheme particularly designed to remove explosive passes.
It wasn’t for a scarcity of expertise acquisition, both. Staley had two All-Professional defensive abilities in edge rusher Joey Bosa and security Derwin James. Telesco then tried his greatest so as to add marquee defensive expertise every season, bringing in linebacker Khalil Mack through commerce and cornerback J.C. Jackson on a five-year, $82 million contract. Jackson performed all of seven video games earlier than getting traded again to New England, whereas the serviceable 32-year-old edge rusher Mack is anticipated to price the Chargers a cap hit of $38.5 million in 2024.
In Staley’s inaugural season, the Chargers missed the possibility at a playoff berth due to Staley’s clock mismanagement in a Week 18 recreation in opposition to the Raiders. In 2022, Los Angeles blew the third-largest lead in NFL playoff historical past. The Chargers will now probably fail to make the playoffs as soon as once more.
The rookie contract window for Justin Herbert ends this season, along with his market-setting contract kicking in in 2024. In keeping with OvertheCap, the Los Angeles Chargers at the moment sit $42.2 million over the 2024 cap threshold, the third-least projected cap area within the league.
