Chargers fire coach Brandon Staley, GM Tom Telesco،
LOS ANGELES — After two and a half seasons marked by high expectations and routine disappointments, the Los Angeles Chargers fired coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco, the team announced Friday.
Giff Smith, the team's outside linebackers coach, was named interim head coach. JoJo Wooden, the Chargers' director of player personnel, will assume the role of interim general manager.
The Chargers were 24-24 under Staley, with a 2022 playoff berth that ended with a 27-point lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars — the third-largest comeback in playoff history. He is the second Chargers head coach to be fired midseason since 1970, joining Kevin Gilbride, who was fired in 1998.
Owner Dean Spanos said in a statement that Chargers fans “deserve more.”
– Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 15, 2023
“These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly, especially considering how many people they impact,” Spanos said. “But we are clearly not where we expected 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 remained strong despite so many ups and downs and close games. “They deserve more. Frankly, they earned more. “
The Chargers hired Staley because of his success as defensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020, when they were the NFL's top defense in points and yards allowed per game. But Staley never had that impact with the Chargers, despite the talent of his star and many of his former players.
Staley's defensive frustrations came to a head after Thursday's 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, who were starting backup Aidan O'Connell and were without running back Josh Jacobs.
Quarterback Easton Stick made his first start for Los Angeles in place of Justin Herbert, who suffered a broken right index finger in Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos and finished the season.
This is the second coach the Chargers have fired since drafting Herbert in 2020. Herbert's first coach, Anthony Lynn, was 33-31 from 2017 to 2020, including 7-9 in his last season.
The team also fired defensive game coordinator and defensive line coach Jay Rodgers.
