The Chargers fired Brandon Staley as coach and Tom Telesco as general manager Friday morning, only hours after a humiliating 63-21 loss to the rival Raiders on Thursday night in Las Vegas. Interim replacements would be named “in short order,” the team said in a statement.
“I want to thank Tom and Brandon for their hard work, dedication and professionalism and wish them and their great families nothing but the best,” Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a statement announcing the firings.
The Chargers are 5-8 with three games remaining in the 2023 season.
Staley’s record was 24-24 in 48 games over two-plus seasons.
He was hired based largely on his track record as a fine defensive coach while rising through the ranks of NFL assistant coaches. He was a collegiate quarterback at Dayton, but gained a reputation as a defensive guru while with the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and the Rams.
The Chargers’ defense has been as leaky as a spaghetti strainer for the better part of his tenure, though. Their defense this season has been disconnected in ways that could have been corrected long ago. The Chargers are 27th in points given up and 29th in yards surrendered this season.
Telesco’s record also was less than great. He was on the job since 2013, hired at the age of 40 as the youngest GM in Chargers history. But they have made the playoffs only three times since then, including last season’s AFC wild-card debacle, when they squandered a 27-0 lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mike McCoy and Anthony Lynn started well enough in their coaching stints, recording good results in each of their first two seasons. But neither they nor their teams could build on their early success and they were fired by Telesco after the two lackluster seasons that followed, sent packing after four years.
“These decisions are never easy nor are they something I take lightly – especially when you consider the number of people they impact,” Spanos said. “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 deserve more. Frankly, they’ve earned more. Building and maintaining a championship-caliber program remains our ultimate goal. And re-imaging how we achieve that goal begins today.”
