Why the Chargers will reportedly keep head coach Brandon Staley
As the clock hit triple zeros in Saturday’s wild card playoff matchup, many believed that Brandon Staley had coached his last game for the Los Angeles Chargers after blowing a 27-point lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
However, according to a report from the Score’s Jordan Schultz, despite the third-largest blown lead in NFL playoff history the Chargers are “strongly considering” bringing Staley back for his third season in 2023, and the rally of support from several respected Chargers players could be the reason why.
“We believe in coach Staley and the front office 100 percent,” quarterback Justin Herbert told reporters. “Everyone would be lucky to have a coach like Staley. He’s been an incredible leader. He’s got the respect of everyone on our team. He’s genuine. He’s himself and we believe in him, and he’s been the same person the past two years. …We took a big step forward and we believe in this coaching staff, this team, we’ve got the right pieces, we’ve just got to put them together.”
Added All-Pro safety Derwin James: “That's my guy. He's put a lot into it. A lot of guys believe in him in the locker room. I definitely believe in him."
Staley led the Chargers to a 10-7 record and a second-place finish in the AFC West this season. They won five of their last seven games to clinch the No. 5 seed in the AFC ahead of the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins.
Los Angeles has finished with a top-10 offense in both of his seasons as head coach.
Staley’s .559 win percentage (19-15 record) is the third-best among Chargers head coaches over the last 27 years behind Marty Schottenheimer (.588) and Norv Turner (.583).
"I really do trust these coaches,” Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa said, via the Associated Press. “He's a fresh head coach in this league. To expect he's going to know everything right away is kind of silly. I think we need to just keep building. It doesn't happen overnight."
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