NFL Analyst Says Chargers HC Brandon Staley Will Be Fired Soon

“Brandon Staley won’t be the head coach of the Chargers in 2023. This is going to be his last season as the head coach,” Canty said. “I get this is only his second year with the Chargers, but you’ve already heard overtures that Sean Payton will be interested in this job.”

Canty also said that Staley’s decision-making in that Week 18 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders was faulty, and he implied it could lead to Staley leaving the team.

Staley Is Gutsy, But Perhaps Too Gutsy

Over the past several years, NFL teams have been going for it in fourth-down situations more often than they traditionally did for much of the league’s history.

Staley and his Chargers were one of the teams leading that recent trend last season, as they went for it 34 times, third-most in the league, and on an NFL-high 31.5 percent of their fourth downs.

Although Los Angeles ranked fourth in fourth-down conversion percentage, there was one costly fourth down it didn’t convert on in the third quarter of Week 18 that Canty referenced.

The Chargers did so while deep in their own territory, which led to a quick field goal for Las Vegas.

They ended up losing in overtime by a field goal.

Staley leans heavily on analytics to determine whether to go for it on fourth down and while analytics certainly have a place in the game, they are not the end all be all of decision-making.

If Staley goes for it on fourth down in a big game or playoff contest, fails and then loses the game, there could be a possibility he gets the ax.

High Expectations Bring High Pressure

This is the first time in a long time the Chargers have had a team that is capable of not only winning their division but also of perhaps winning the Super Bowl.

It would be one thing if L.A. doesn’t finish first in the AFC West, but if it doesn’t make the playoffs, there will be lots of criticism to go around.

Often times in sports, when a team fails to meet expectations, its coach gets fired, whether he deserved it or not.

The AFC is as loaded as either conference ever has been in league history, and there may be multiple teams that register double-digit wins but don’t make the postseason.

With their first two regular season contests against the Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers need to make sure they get off to a good start.

Otherwise, Staley’s job security could be in question.