The Los Angeles Chargers today named Giff Smith Interim Head Coach and JoJo Wooden for the 2023 season…
The Brandon Staley era is over in Los Angeles and it appears that the opportunity to be his successor will be a top priority for prospective coaching candidates.
In an appearance on FOX NFL Sunday, NFL insider Jay Glazer reported that the Los Angeles Chargers head coaching job is the No. 1 available job this offseason.
“You talk to head coaching candidates, GM candidates, even other coaches and GM’s of other teams are like ‘Oh we wish we could be over there in Los Angeles,'” Glazer said. “They’re doing a lot of great things, they’re opening a new training facility right down by the beach.”
While the location and roster construction are big draws as well, Glazer confirmed that the top reason the job will be so coveted lies with the stability at the quarterback position.
“They have that quarterback, Justin Herbert,” Glazer said. “That is a new coach’s dream to work with a guy like that. I’m telling you, this is the prime spot that everybody wants to go to.”
Staley went 24-24 as the team’s head coach, leading the team to a playoff appearance in 2022. However, questionable coaching decisions throughout his tenure, combined with the fact that the Chargers had a talented roster and didn’t win a playoff during his three seasons the team doomed his standing with the franchise.
These seasons are looked at as a missed opportunity for this Chargers team, and that is precisely why the job is so desirable. Herbert amassed 12,887 yards with 82 touchdowns during this period, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 and a top-10 MVP finish in 2022.
This production, combined with the fact that Herbert is just 25-years-old and locked up until at least 2029, means that any coach that takes over will have a franchise player to build around and an opportunity to find quick success.
It is a difficult division, with the Kansas City Chiefs reigning supreme over the past several seasons and the Denver Broncos taking a big step forward this season, but the opportunity for success lays ahead of whoever becomes the Chargers next head coach.
