The Los Angeles Chargers didn’t have to look too far to find their next head coach after firing Anthony Lynn following a disappointing 7-9 season. According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Chargers will be hiring Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley to their head coaching position, swiping him away from their fellow SoFi Stadium tenants.
The #Chargers are hiring #Rams DC Brandon Staley as their new head coach, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. An impressive young candidate, he gets a prime job in LA.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 18, 2021
I can confirm this report, per source.
Brandon Staley will not have to go very far as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. https://t.co/9CoAPlq0GH
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 18, 2021
Staley was at the helm of what was one of the league’s best defenses with the Rams and will now be handed the keys to a Chargers team with some immense young talents on both sides of the ball. Justin Herbert emerged as a star in his rookie season and made the L.A. job among the most coveted in the NFL, and with Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, and Derwin James on defense, while he will no longer have Aaron Donald, Staley will have plenty of talent to build his defense around.
Despite the presence of what appears to be a preternatural quarterbacking talent in Herbert, it’s not surprising to see the Chargers turn to a defensive coach, as Lynn was an offensive coach and, typically, teams tend to seek out the opposite of what they previously had. Of all the job openings this offseason, the Chargers gig was, to many, the best one but it’s also the one with expectations to win immediately, which means ample pressure for Staley to deal with in Year 1.
