Chargers Fire OC Greg Roman

This represents a split between Roman and head coach Jim Harbaugh. The two worked together at Stanford (2009-10), with the 49ers (2011-14) and again during Harbaugh’s time with the Chargers. The 2026 season will represent Harbaugh’s first in the NFL without Roman as his offensive coordinator.

Los Angeles has reached the playoffs in each of the past two years. That illustrates the successful turnaround seen under Harbaugh and the team’s new front office. The performances seen on offense during the wild-card round has left plenty to be desired, however. Between last season’s loss to the Texans and the defeat against the Patriots from this weekend, Roman’s unit has managed just 15 total playoff points.

As Daniel Popper of The Athletic notes (subscription required), the “tenor” regarding Roman’s future changed in the wake of Sunday night’s game. Quarterback Justin Herbert continued to face consistent pressure due in large part to Los Angeles’ struggles up front. He took six sacks against the Patriots and several scrambles resulted in a team-leading 57 rushing yards. Offensive line coach Mike Devlin is also out, per the NFLN trio.

Left tackle Rashawn Slater was lost for the season to a torn patellar tendon suffered in August. That resulted in Joe Alt moving to the blindside, creating a setup which largely proved sufficient when he was available. Alt himself was limited to only six games in 2025 due to his own season-ending injury, however. The Bolts were unable to compensate for losing their top two linemen, and issues up front persisted through the team’s elimination.

Overall, the Chargers ranked 11th in scoring during Roman’s first year in charge and 20th in 2025. Improvements will be sought out by Harbaugh over the coming days. Los Angeles could be seen as one of the top openings around the league on the OC front given the presence of Herbert and a number of other core pieces on offense. It will be interesting to see who Harbaugh targets as he prepares for a rare stint without Roman serving as one of his top lieutenants.

Roman, 53, has been an NFL offensive coordinator for 12 years. In between his stints working with Jim Harbaugh, he led the Bills’ offense for two seasons and the Ravens’ for four. Roman won the Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2019, the season in which Lamar Jackson was the NFL’s unanimous MVP. Known for finding success with dual-threat quarterbacks, he could be sought out by teams seeking out an improved showing in the run game in particular.

The Lions and Buccaneers currently have an offensive coordinator vacancy. More are expected to open as the HC landscape takes shape over the coming days. In any case, the Chargers are now among the teams seeking out a new play-caller on offense as they look to take a step forward next year.