The Los Angeles Chargers embarrassing 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night was the final straw for head coach Brandon Staley, as the team made the announcement on Friday that he has been relieved of his duties.
Despite the strong play of star quarterback Justin Herbert this season, the team as a whole has just not been able to get on the same page on either side of the ball. Their latest loss dropped them to 5-9 on the season, certainly not where you would expect a team of this caliber on paper to be.
The focus of the team will now shift to the 2024 season, where they will need to find a head coach who can help turn this franchise around.
With that in mind, here are five coaching candidates that the Chargers should consider hiring this offseason.
5. Bobby Slowik
- Current position: OC
- Current team: Houston Texans
The turnaround of the Houston Texans this season has been nothing short of remarkable under first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans. But Slowik should also receive a ton of praise for how he has impacted the development of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Slowik comes from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree in San Francisco, a system that is typically a great one for quarterbacks to thrive in.
Someone with the talents of Justin Herbert at the quarterback position should have a head coach who is dedicated to putting him in the best position to succeed. And Slowik could be just the coach to do that if he wants to make the jump to a head coaching position this offseason.
4. Frank Smith
- Current position: OC
- Current team: Mimi Dolphins
If you haven’t caught on to the trend here, young, dynamic offensive minds are who I believe would be the best fit to fill the Chargers head coaching vacancy.
Someone like Frank Smith certainly qualifies as just that, as he has helped turn the Dolphins offense into one of the most prolific offenses in all of football.
Obviously having the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle helps the Dolphins’ offense thrive. But Smith’s offense also uses inventive ways to get those offensive weapons open.
Miami uses the most pre-snap motion in the NFL, which is something that has helped Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa make easy reads to open receivers.
Justin Herbert could certainly thrive in an offense like Smith’s, making him one of the most intriguing head coaching options heading into the 2024 season.
the dolphins offense (per @FTNData):
•motion rate: 76.7% (1st)
•play action rate: 28.0% (1st) pic.twitter.com/okp4SZRC3Q— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) December 7, 2023
3. Eric Bieniemy
- Current position: OC
- Current team: Washington Commanders
Bieniemy has been on the radar of a heading coaching gig dating back to his days as the offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs.
But he should be considered even higher now that his offense has been proven to work on a much less stacked team on paper in Washington.
Commanders quarterback Sam Howell currently sits as a top-five passer in passing yards under Bieniemy, a pretty big statement to how Bieniemy has helped his development as a young player.
Bieniemy obviously has familiarity with Justin Herbert as well considering how often he used to play him as a coach of the Chiefs.
Bieniemy will almost certainly receive interest around the league for a head coaching gig this coming offseason. And if the Chargers are smart, they should certainly be considering him as well.
2. Ben Johnson
- Current position: OC
- Current team: Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions find themselves in a contender role for the first time in the last decade this season. And a big reason why is the prolific offense that Johnson has helped build in Detroit.
Johnson has helped veteran quarterback Jared Goff completely turn around his career with a balanced offense where both the running game and the passing game excel.
The Lions obviously have a far more talented bunch of playmakers at the skill positions than the Chargers do at this point. But there is no doubt that Johnson’s offense could help Justin Herbert in a similar way that it has helped Jared Goff in recent years.
1. Jim Harbaugh
- Current position: HC
- Current team: Michigan Wolverines
Harbaugh is the lone candidate here who has experience coaching at the highest level. He has a proven track record of success at both the collegiate and the NFL levels.
Returning to the NFL may be a longshot considering the success that he has had at Michigan recently. But if he does have interest in going back to the NFL, the Chargers could be the perfect place to do so.
He would have a franchise quarterback to work with in Justin Herbert, which has always been a big selling point to him at any level he has coached at.
Who knows if Harbaugh even has an interest in coaching a team like the Chargers. But if he does, he should be at the top of their list as a coaching candidate for the 2024 season.
There are obviously several holes that the Chargers need to fix in order to be successful regardless of who they choose to be their next head coach.
That being said, any of these five coaches could help completely turn around this team in a hurry considering some of the excellent pieces this Chargers team does have.
