On the heels of a 63-21 bludgeoning at the hands of their AFC rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers have fired head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco. The team announced the move on Friday morning accompanied by a statement by team owner, Dean Spanos.
“These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly — especially when you consider the number of people they impact,” Spanos said. “We are clearly not where we expect to be, however, and we need a new vision. Doing nothing in the name of continuity was not a risk I was willing to take.”
Staley’s record as a head coach is 24-24 earning one playoff berth in 2022. The Chargers ended up losing that game despite being up by 27 points resulting in the third-largest comeback in playoff history.
Staley is only the second Chargers head coach to be fired partway through the season. Kevin Gilbride is the other, who was fired in 1998.
Post-Brandon Staley Plan For Chargers
Attention is now turned to the interim and succession plans for Staley and Telesco. The team says an interim coach and general manager will be announced “within short order.”
The Chargers job openings are regarded as some of the best opportunities in the league, in large part because of Justin Herbert as the franchise quarterback. They also will likely end up, with plenty of draft stock. They currently are picking 5th overall in the first round and the rest of their slate is intact.
But the jobs also present very real challenges. The most notable is the 2024 salary cap. The Chargers are currently $42.1 million over the cap. This will mean that Telesco’s successor will have to make strong choices in the draft and hard decisions about the costly veterans like, Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, and Mike Williams.
We will continue to update this story as it unfolds.
