The Los Angeles Chargers have fired head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco in the wake of the team’s 63-21 Thursday loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport initially reported the news Friday. The team later announced the moves.
“I want to thank Tom and Brandon for their hard work, dedication and professionalism, and wish both them and their great families nothing but the best,” said Chargers 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. 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 reimagining how we achieve that goal begins today.”
The Chargers named Giff Smith as interim head coach and JoJo Wooden as interim general manager for the remainder of the 2023 season. Smith, the Chargers’ outside linebackers coach, has been with the club since 2016. Wooden joined the Chargers in 2013 as the director of player personnel.
Chargers defensive run game coordinator/defensive line coach Jay Rodgers was also relieved of his duties on Friday, the team announced.
This is the Chargers’ first in-season firing of a head coach since Kevin Gilbride was dismissed in 1998.
The talent-laden Chargers sit at 5-9 after losing five of their last six games and clinching the first losing season of Staley’s tenure. Staley leaves L.A. with a 24-24 record, two winning seasons and one playoff berth that ended in historic disaster. Thursday’s blowout loss, during which the Chargers trailed by a franchise-worst 42 points at halftime, was the latest calamity.
Los Angeles’ ills impacted both sides of the ball. Before he was lost for the season on Sunday with a fractured index finger on his throwing hand, franchise quarterback Justin Herbert posted career worsts in team points per game (21.7), record (5-8), completion percentage (65.1) and passing yards per game (241.1).
On defense, the Chargers ranked 29th in yards allowed and 27th in points allowed entering Thursday, after finishing in the bottom half of the NFL in total and scoring defense in the prior two seasons with Staley. Picked from the Sean McVay coaching tree to helm the Chargers ahead of the 2021 season, Staley was a defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in 2020. He maintained defensive play-calling duties throughout his time with the Chargers.
Staley’s ouster came nearly a year after a postseason collapse capped a tumultuous 2022. After fighting their way from a 6-6 record to a 10-7 finish and wild-card playoff berth, the Chargers built a 27-0 first-half lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars in their Wild Card Round game. The Jaguars went on to win 31-30, orchestrating the third-largest comeback in NFL postseason history at the expense of the Chargers, who coughed up the largest blown lead in franchise history.
Ahead of that 2022 season, the Chargers signed cornerback J.C. Jackson to a five-year, $82.5 million contract. Jackson appeared in seven games with the team before being traded to the New England Patriots this year, limited by injury woes and an apparent failure to mesh with Staley’s defense. The Bolts also traded to acquire Khalil Mack, who is producing an all-time season in 2023 (he has 15 sacks and five forced fumbles, both league highs) that’s largely been wasted.
The team’s poor defensive performance comes despite the fact that defensive players on the Chargers roster account for $98.1 million against the salary cap in 2023, which is the third-most in the NFL, according to Spotrac.
Telesco, the architect of the Chargers’ roster, was let go amid his 11th season with the club. When he was hired in 2013, he took over for longtime GM A.J. Smith, who’d been in that role since 2003. Staley was the third head coach Telesco hired during his tenure.
The Chargers drafted a total of eight Pro Bowlers with Telesco at the helm, including notable players like Keenan Allen, Joey Bosa, Derwin James and Herbert. L.A. went 84-92 in the regular season and owned a 2-3 record in three playoff appearances during Telesco’s reign as GM.
He leaves behind eight players that will carry 2024 cap hits of $10 million-plus, including four with hits north of $32 million, per NFL Research.
Following the epic postseason collapse in 2022 and a season that has come off the rails in 2023, there is plenty of work ahead for the franchise in the wake of dismissing Staley and Telesco.
