In the wake of Thursday night's 63-21 demolition by the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers fired head coach Brandon Staley and General Manager Tom Telesco.
“I want to thank Tom and Brandon for their hard work, dedication and professionalism, and wish both them and their great families nothing but the best,” Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. “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 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 desserve more. 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.”
Telesco had been GM since 2013, and the Chargers made the playoffs three times during his tenure. Staley became the Chargers’ head coach in 2021 and made the playoffs once, losing in the wild card round last year.
The top priority for the Chargers will be a coach and GM who can build a Super Bowl-caliber roster around quarterback Justin Herbert, who was locked in with a long-term contract extension this offseason. The Chargers aren’t in good cap shape for next season, so they’re going to have trouble building through free agency, but this is a team that needs a lot of work — but also a team that has its franchise quarterback in place.