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Chargers Have Interviewed Prominent NFL Head Coaching Candidate

Originally posted on NFL Analysis Network
By Robert Marvi | Last updated 1/20/24

The Los Angeles Chargers have been a disappointment for a long time, but they have an opportunity to turn things around, and it starts with hiring the right head coach.

They fired Brandon Staley, their former head coach, following a horrific loss in Week 15 to the Las Vegas Raiders in which they gave up 63 points and lost by a whopping 42-point margin. Giff Smith, a longtime defensive line and outside linebackers coach, filled in as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Despite the presence of star quarterback Justin Herbert, one of the NFL’s most physically gifted signal-callers, and multiple studs on both sides of the football, Los Angeles won just five games this season. Last season, it finished 10-7 but blew a 27-0 lead and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Its coaching search is in full swing, and it announced on its official Twitter account that it had interviewed Mike Vrabel, the former Tennessee Titans head coach.

we’ve completed an interview with Mike Vrabel for head coach

→ https://t.co/oUNsocmQrK pic.twitter.com/b8xeHy5wQs
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 18, 2024

Vrabel was fired just days ago by the Titans after they had finished the regular season with a 6-11 record. However, he did achieve some success in his six seasons at the helm there.

In 2019, just his second season as Tennessee’s head coach, he guided it to the AFC Championship Game despite a mediocre 9-7 regular season record. That was the year Ryan Tannehill took over as its starting quarterback, and he helped Tannehill resurrect his career and make the Pro Bowl that year.

In that AFC title game, the Titans got out to a 10-0 lead before succumbing to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, the eventual Super Bowl champs.

From 1997 to 2010, Vrabel was a linebacker, most notably with the New England Patriots. While with the Patriots, he won three Super Bowl championships, and he even occasionally lined up on offense as a tight end and scored two touchdowns in those three Super Bowl victories.

Vrabel, 48, is considered one of the best available head coaches right now. He’s known as a player’s coach who prioritizes building strong relationships with his players, although his run-heavy offense may not be the best fit for a Chargers team that boasts star quarterback Justin Herbert, who is a strong-armed gunslinger.

This article first appeared on NFL Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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