By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Los Angeles Chargers have fired head coach Brandon Staley on Friday. The move was following a devastating 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football.
The 63 points were the most scored by a Raiders team in a game. With the loss, the Chargers fell out of playoff contention with a 5-9 record.
“I want to thank Tom (Telesco) and Brandon for their hard work, dedication, and professionalism, and wish both them and their great families nothing but the best,” Chargers Owner and Chairman of the Board Dean Spanos said. “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 (a) 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.
READ MORE: Click here for our latest NFL coverage
“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.”
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chargers made their first in-season coaching change since 1998 when the team fired Kevin Gilbride six games into the season. June Jones then finished the season, as he was interim head coach for the final ten games.
Giff Smith will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season. Smith had been serving as the team’s outside linebackers coach before the promotion to interim head coach.
Smith will be a head coach for the first time in his coaching career. He had been with the organization since 2016 when he first began as defensive line coach before being named the team’s outside linebackers coach in 2022.
READ MORE: Click here for our latest Sports coverage
The veteran coach was given the reins of the team over offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who is viewed as a head coach in waiting. Moore is in his first season with the franchise.
Staley was 24-24 in the regular season as an NFL head coach with the Chargers. The Chargers also lost their lone playoff game under his guidance during his three-year tenure.
The 41-year-old quickly rose up the coaching ranks. After being at Division III’s John Carroll as their defensive coordinator and secondary coach in 2016, he was hired by the Chicago Bears as their outside linebackers coach in 2017.
Within four years of being hired by the Bears, he was hired as the Chargers head coach. He spent one season as a defensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 before being hired by the Chargers.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Follow Us on Social Media:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, Tumblr, YouTube, and TruthSocial
Keep Independent Journalism Alive! Ad-free experience and Exclusive Premium-plus content.
Join our Paid Substack for additional content for $10 per month. This is ad-free content. We believe that what you read matters and great writing is valuable. Through Substack, writers can flourish by being paid directly by their readers.
© 2007-2024 The Capital Sports Report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed.
