Due to his wife, The coach of the San Diego chargers has officially announced his retirement
In the early hours of Friday morning, the Chargers announced both General Manager Tom Telesco and Coach Brandon Staley following their humiliating 63-21 loss to the rival Raiders on Thursday night in Las Vegas. The team released a statement stating that interim replacements would be named “in short order.”
Later in the day, the Chargers announced JoJo Wooden as their interim general manager and outside linebackers coach Giff Smith as their interim coach. Before moving positions, Smith coached the defensive lineman for six seasons before joining the Chargers in 2016. Wooden started working there in 2013.
In addition, defensive line coach and defensive run coordinator Jay Rodgers were fired by the Chargers.
In a statement announcing the dismissals, Chargers owner Dean Spanos said, “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.”
With three games left in the 2023 season, the Chargers are now 5-9.
Staley had a record of 24–24 during more than two seasons.
His reputation as an excellent defensive coach during his ascent through the NFL assistant ranks played a significant role in his hiring. While playing quarterback for Dayton University, he established himself as a defensive mastermind in his time with the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Rams.
For the most part of his tenure, though, the Chargers’ defense has been as porous as a spaghetti strainer. This season, they have had a disjointed defense that could have been fixed long ago. This season, the Chargers rank 29th in yards surrendered and 27th in points allowed.
Telesco had a not-so-starry record as well. He became the youngest general manager in Chargers history when he was hired in 2013 at the age of 40. Since then, though, they have only made it to the playoffs three times, including the disastrous AFC wild-card game last season, in which they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars despite holding a 27-0 lead.
Both Mike McCoy and Anthony Lynn had respectable starts to their coaching careers, with strong performances in their first two years in charge. However, neither they nor their teams were able to sustain their early success, and after two disappointing seasons, Telesco fired them, ending their four-year tenure.
Staley did not stay with the company for three complete seasons.
“Considering the number of people these decisions affect, they are never simple or something I take lightly,” stated Spanos. But it’s obvious that we’re not where we should be, so we need a fresh perspective. I was not willing to take the chance of doing nothing for the sake of continuity.
“Our supporters have persevered through countless highs and lows as well as close games. They are worthy of more. To be honest, they deserve better. Our ultimate goal is still to create and sustain a program of championship caliber. And the work of reimagining how we accomplish that goal starts now.
During their collaboration, Staley and Telesco saw far more misses than hits. In their first season together (2021), the Chargers finished 9-8, but Staley faced harsh criticism for his clock management during an overtime loss to the Raiders that kept them out of the postseason.
The Chargers made a number of moves in the offseason of 2022 in an attempt to bolster their defense, such as trading for veteran pass rusher Khalil Mack, which proved to be very successful, and signing free-agent cornerback J.C. Jackson, who proved to be unsuccessful and was traded to the New England Patriots this season.
The 2022 season for the Chargers finished with a whimper rather than a bang. They were 10-7 and, for the first time since Telesco became general manager, qualified for the postseason. However, they lost to the Jaguars, 31-30, after blowing a 27-0 lead they had built up in the last minutes of the first half. During the game, a lot of fans demanded that Staley be fired.
Shortly before training camp opened at Costa Mesa’s Jack Hammett Sports Complex on July 26, Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert inked a record-setting five-year, $262.5 million contract extension with the Chargers, raising hopes for a deeper playoff run this season.
The Chargers were a consistently inconsistent team to start the season. Herbert struggled to motivate the Chargers in close games because he lacked special talent. An underwhelming record was also influenced by season-ending injuries and illnesses to important players like center Corey Linsley and wide receiver Mike Williams.
After dropping their last four games, the Chargers were eliminated from the postseason picture. On Thursday night, they will travel to Las Vegas to play a prime-time game against the Raiders. For a team that was only trying to make it to the finish line of the 2023 season, Herbert’s season-ending finger surgery seemed to be the final straw.
The Chargers looked dead, disoriented, unprepared, and unable to defend themselves against the Raiders. After leading 42-0 at the half, Las Vegas scored more points against the Chargers than they had ever scored against any other team in their history. It was also the highest number of points the Chargers had forfeited in their history.
