The Los Angeles Chargers surprised many in 2021 when they hired Brandon Staley as their head coach. Entering his third NFL season, it appears some around the league believe Staley should no longer be a head coach.
Staley, age 40, was hired as head coach despite his limited track record. He became a positions coach at the NFL level in 2017 with the Chicago Bears and coached outside linebackers through the 2019 season. Then, after one season as the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator, Staley was hired as the Chargers’ head coach.
- Brandon Staley coaching record: 19-15
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Walking into a favorable situation with a talented roster and a young franchise quarterback, expectations were high in Los Angeles. The Chargers went 9-8 in 2021, missing the playoffs, before making it to the Wild Card round this past season after finishing with a 10-7 record.
However, Staley has been under scrutiny for some time. Despite being a defensive-minded coach, Los Angeles has finished with one of the worst run defenses in the NFL in the last two seasons. It also finished last season 21st in scoring defense.
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Despite the defensive issues and a historic second-half collapse in the playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Staley remains the Chargers’ head coach. In the eyes of some people around the NFL, that’s entirely a reflection of a team owner being too cheap to replace a bad head coach.
An unnamed NFC personnel executive told Matt Lombardo of Fanbuzz.com that Staley is a “bad coach” and he’d have already been fired if the Chargers weren’t owned by an owner who is perceived to be cheap.
“Brandon Staley is a really bad coach with a great roster. They just paid that quarterback, and if they don’t win now, Justin Herbert isn’t getting any younger. It blows my mind that they don’t win. If Jerry Jones had Justin Herbert, that head coach would have been fired two years ago. Guaranteed. What’s the difference between Herbert and Troy Aikman? Nothing, in my opinion. They’re smart, accurate, big arm, great guys and leaders off the field. They should be rolling, but they haven’t been.”
Anonymous NFC executive on Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley
There were widespread calls for Staley to be fired after the playoff loss to Jacksonville. However, he was given another year and encouraged to make a change at offensive coordinator. With Kellen Moore replacing Joe Lombardi, there’s confidence in Los Angeles that this will be a much better team in 2023.
However, missing the playoffs or failing to win a single playoff game this season would likely be enough for the Chargers to cut ties with Staley in 2024. If a change is made, the Chargers’ job would be the most coveted in the NFL.