Los Angeles Chargers Pull The Plug On HC Brandon Staley, GM After Embarrassing Loss to Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley better have his resume ready, because he needs a new job.

The Chargers announced that they decided to fire Staley and relieve him of his duties with the team. Additionally, the organization let go of general manager Tom Telesco.

Team owner Dean Spanos announced that it was in everyone's best interest to look for different men to fill these positions.

The announcement comes less than a day after a historic low point for Los Angeles. During last night’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chargers found themselves in a 42-0 hole…at halftime. It served as the largest halftime deficit in franchise history (shocker), and the Bolts ended up losing 63-21.

During the halftime broadcast from Amazon Prime, analyst and former NFL All-Pro Rchard Sherman called for the Chargers to become the first team to fire their coach at halftime.

“This is one of the worst first halves I’ve seen from a team. It just looks like they’ve given up,” Sherman said. “Brandon Staley, I hate to say this because you don’t ever want to call for somebody’s job. But, they should make history. They should fire him at halftime.”

While last night’s defeat was the final domino to fall in the head coach’s demise, the writing was on the wall for quite some time with Staley.

Brandon Staley Didn't Help His Case To Remain Head Coach

In the Wild Card round of the 2022-23 season, Staley saw the Chargers blow a 27-point lead at halftime against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Los Angeles lost the game 31-30, and their lead was the third-largest a team squandered in NFL postseason history. The loss was especially troubling for Staley, since he called plays for the defense. And yet, they couldn’t hold on to a four-score lead.

Staley will be looking for another job elsewhere. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Fast forward to this season, and things looked equally troubling. Maintaining defensive play calling duties, the head coach saw his defense crumble. After last night’s drubbing, the Chargers fell to 29th overall in the NFL in total defense. They are 29th in passing defense, 18th in rushing defense, and 27th in points allowed per game. Only the Washington Commanders have allowed more touchdowns this season than Staley’s unit, and that’s unacceptable.

Mind you, this is with a defense that includes Joey Bosa, Khalil Mak, Derwin James Jr., and Asante Samuel Jr. They had the playmakers and talent, just not the results.

Other than the Raiders game, the low point of the season for the defense came during a 23-20 to the Green Bay Packers. Protecting a 20-16 lead, the Chargers let up a relatively easy, game-winning drive to lost the game 23-20

After the game, a reporter asked Staley if he’d consider giving up play calling duties. Staley responded forcefully that he had full confidence in what he was doing.

The question and subsequent tense exchange goes from around the 2-minute to 4-minute mark of the following video.

Four games later, Los Angeles now sits at 5-9 and in the AFC West cellar, with no head coach or general manager. If there was ever a team that needed a recharge at the helm to succeed (pun intended), it’s the Bolts.