Chargers fire head coach Brandon Staley, GM Tom Telesco (original) (raw)

The Chargers fired Coach Brandon Staley and General Manager Tom Telesco on Friday morning, only hours after a humiliating 63-21 loss to the rival Raiders on Thursday night in Las Vegas. Interim replacements would be named “in short order,” the team said in a statement.

Later in the day, the Chargers named outside linebackers coach Giff Smith as their interim coach and JoJo Wooden as their interim GM. Smith has been with the Chargers since 2016, coaching the defensive lineman for six seasons before switching positions. Wooden was hired in 2013.

The Chargers also fired Jay Rodgers, defensive run coordinator and defensive line coach.

“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,” Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a statement announcing the firings.

The Chargers are 5-9 with three games remaining in the 2023 season.

Staley’s record was 24-24 over two-plus seasons.

He was hired based largely on his track record as a fine defensive coach while rising through the ranks of NFL assistants. He was a collegiate quarterback at Dayton, but gained a reputation as a defensive guru while with the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and the Rams.

The Chargers’ defense has been as leaky as a spaghetti strainer for the better part of his tenure, though. Their defense this season has been disconnected in ways that could have been corrected long ago. The Chargers are 27th in points given up and 29th in yards surrendered this season.

Telesco’s record also was less than great. He was on the job since 2013, hired at the age of 40 as the youngest GM in Chargers history. But they have made the playoffs only three times since then, including last season’s AFC wild-card debacle, when they squandered a 27-0 lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Mike McCoy and Anthony Lynn started well enough in their coaching stints, too, recording good results in each of their first two seasons. But neither they nor their teams could build on their early success and they were fired by Telesco after the two lackluster seasons that followed, sent packing after four years.

Staley didn’t make it three full seasons on the job.

“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 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 re-imaging how we achieve that goal begins today.”

Staley and Telesco had some hits but far more misses during their partnership. The Chargers were 9-8 in 2021, their first season together, but Staley was heavily criticized for his clock management during an overtime loss to the Raiders that prevented them from making the playoffs.

The offseason of 2022 featured a number of moves that were made in an effort to strengthen the Chargers’ defense, including a trade for veteran pass rusher Khalil Mack, which paid big dividends, and the signing of free-agent cornerback J.C. Jackson, which did not and resulted in a trade to the New England Patriots this season.

The Chargers’ 2022 season ended with a whimper and not a bang. They were 10-7 and made the playoffs for only the third time with Telesco as GM, but they lost to the Jaguars, 31-30, after giving up a 27-0 lead they had built by the closing minutes of the first half. Many fans called for Staley’s ouster after the game.

Expectations for a deeper playoff run this season began shortly before training camp began July 26 at Costa Mesa’s Jack Hammett Sports Complex, when Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert signed a record-setting five-year, $262.5 million contract extension with the Chargers.

The season began with the Chargers consistently inconsistent. Herbert wasn’t particularly sharp, failing to rally the Chargers in close games. Season-ending injuries and illnesses to key players such as wide receiver Mike Williams and center Corey Linsley also played a factor in a less-than-stellar record.

The Chargers fell from playoff contention with losses in four of five games before heading to Las Vegas to face the Raiders in a prime-time game Thursday night. Herbert’s season-ending finger surgery appeared to be the final blow for a team simply trying to reach the finish line of the 2023 season.

Against the Raiders, the Chargers appeared lifeless, unprepared, disconnected and unable to defend themselves. Las Vegas led 42-0 by halftime and went on to score more points against the Chargers than against any other opponent in their history. It also was the most points the Chargers had given up in theirs.

The players rallied around Staley after the game, defending him and supporting him, telling reporters in the locker room in Las Vegas that he was not to blame for their latest defeat. In fact, most of the blame fell on the shoulders of the players, who failed completely. Most, that is, but not all.

“This is embarrassing,” Mack, a 10-year NFL veteran, told reporters in the Chargers’ locker room in Las Vegas. “It was probably one of the nastiest, ugliest losses of my career.”

Staley said he would speak to Chargers ownership after the game, which is normal whether the team wins, loses or ties. He said he deserved to continue as coach, which is what you would expect him to say. He said, “I believe in myself,” after the Chargers’ fifth loss in six games.

Spanos, who had the ultimate say in the matter, decided it was time for a change, though, so he fired Staley and Telesco less than 12 hours after one of the worst losses in team history and began the search for replacements that could help the Chargers fulfill their potential.

Originally Published: December 15, 2023 at 9:32 AM PST