Brandon Staley’s endless hot seat has finally caught fire. The Los Angeles Chargers fired Staley as head coach after Thursday night’s blowout loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, ending a tumultuous three-year stint as the franchise’s head coach, announced the team. The Chargers also fired general manager Tom Telesco, who had been the team’s general manager since 2013.
The team also announced that outside linebackers coach Giff Smith will serve as the interim head coach, while director of player personnel JoJo Wooden will assume the role of interim GM. THE added friday that defensive running game coordinator and defensive line coach Jay Rodgers was also dismissed.
Even with Justin Herbert at quarterback, the Chargers have not won a playoff game in Staley’s tenure. The Chargers have gone 24-24 in Staley’s three seasons at the helm, having a winning record in each of his first two seasons but bottoming out at 5-9 so far this season – which has been considered a make-or-break year for Staley. like the main trainer of the equipment.
“I want to thank Tom and Brandon for their hard work, dedication and professionalism, and wish them and their great families nothing but the best,” said Chargers owner and president Dean Spanos. “These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly – especially when you consider the number of people they affect. 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. Our fans have stood strong through so many ups and downs and close games. They deserve more. Frankly, they’ve earned more. Building and maintaining a championship-caliber program remains our ultimate goal. . And reimagining how we achieve that goal begins today.”
Under Staley, the Chargers finished with back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2017 and 2018. Los Angeles made the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and finished with just its second double-digit scoring season since 2009. But even though the Chargers have won games , Staley was responsible for clock management, over-aggressiveness, and in-game decisions that cost his team victories.
The 2023 AFC wild-card loss was a prime example, which was a second-half collapse for the ages (the Chargers lost 31-30 after leading 27-0 in the first half). In the 27-point playoff collapse to Jacksonville, Los Angeles actually had a drop rate of 75% after building that 27-0 lead — higher than Jacksonville at 70%. Staley also infamously had a collapse in Week 18 of the 2021 season (which cost the Chargers a playoff spot) despite Herbert being perfect on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
In fact, Staley has stumbled in the final game in each of his three seasons as a head coach:
2021: Lost 35-32 at Raiders in Week 18
- Both teams needed a win or a tie to clinch a playoff spot
- Staley called a controversial timeout with 0:38 left in OT
2022: Lost 31-30 at Jaguars in wild card round
- Chargers led 27-0 in the second quarter
- Marked the third largest blown lead in NFL playoff history
2023: Lost 63-21 at Raiders in Week 15
- Most points allowed in Chargers history
- Trailing 49-0 in third quarter
The Chargers were only 24-23 in Herbert’s 47 starts under Staley. Herbert is 30-32 in his four seasons as the Chargers starter, as the offense has averaged 24.4 points per game and allowed 24.8 points per game. That’s the second-most points per game by a quarterback with a losing record since 1950 with a minimum of 50 starts (Trent Green was the worst). Herbert also has 14 losses by three or fewer points — the most by a starting quarterback in his first four seasons since 1950, according to CBS Sports Research.
Despite going to the Chargers with a defensive background, Staley’s LA defenses were not impressive. The defense never ranked higher than 20th in yards allowed per game and 27th in points allowed per game in his three years. The Chargers ranked 31st in points per game allowed (24.8) and 29th in yards allowed per game (359.6) in Staley’s three seasons.
Thursday’s blowout loss to the Raiders was the final straw for the Chargers, who lost five of their last six games before firing Staley. The Chargers join the Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers as the third team to fire a coach during the 2023 season.
