Following a ancient loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers fired head trainer Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco, in step with ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“I wish to thank Tom and Brandon for his or her exhausting paintings, willpower, and professionalism, and want each them and their nice households not anything however the most productive,” Chargers proprietor Dean Spanos mentioned in a remark. “Those selections are by no means simple, nor are they one thing I take frivolously – particularly while you imagine the collection of other folks they affect.
“We’re obviously now not the place we think to be, alternatively, and we want new imaginative and prescient. Doing not anything within the title of continuity was once now not a chance I used to be prepared to take. Our enthusiasts have stood robust via such a lot of ups and downs and shut video games. They deserve extra. Frankly, they’ve earned extra. Construction and keeping up a championship-caliber program stays our final function. And reimagining how we succeed in that function starts lately.”
Giff Smith and JoJo Wood had been named the meantime head trainer and GM, respectively.
Thursday evening’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders is among the maximum embarrassing defeats in contemporary reminiscence. The Chargers’ 63 issues allowed have been the maximum in franchise historical past, and their 42-point deficit was once the franchise’s third-largest margin of defeat. So as to add insult to harm, the loss knocked Los Angeles’ playoff odds right down to not up to one p.c, in step with the New York Instances.
The sport capped off an abysmal stretch for the Chargers’ protection. In Staley’s 3 years as head trainer, the Chargers protection by no means completed upper than nineteenth in defensive EPA/Play and twenty first in defensive DVOA. In 2023, Staley’s protection completed with the fifth-worst explosive passing fee allowed regardless of working a two-high scheme in particular designed to get rid of explosive passes.
It wasn’t for a loss of ability acquisition, both. Staley had two All-Professional defensive abilities in edge rusher Joey Bosa and protection Derwin James. Telesco then attempted his highest so as to add marquee defensive ability each and every season, bringing in linebacker Khalil Mack by way of business and cornerback J.C. Jackson on a five-year, $82 million contract. Jackson performed all of 7 video games earlier than getting traded again to New England, whilst 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 overlooked the risk at a playoff berth on account of Staley’s clock mismanagement in a Week 18 recreation towards the Raiders. In 2022, Los Angeles blew the third-largest lead in NFL playoff historical past. The Chargers will now most likely 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 line with OvertheCap, the Los Angeles Chargers these days take a seat $42.2 million over the 2024 cap threshold, the third-least projected cap area within the league.
