A Look at Potential Candidates for the Chargers Head Coaching Vacancy
Photo Credit: Steve Marcus, Getty Images
It has been just over a week since the 2023 season concluded for the Los Angeles Chargers, but the ownership hasn’t taken any time off in hopes to find the right head coach and general manager to propel the Chargers to more success.
Los Angeles parted ways with Head Coach Brandon Staley and General Manager Tom Telesco on Dec. 15 after they were blown out 63-21 by the Las Vegas Raiders in one of the worst losses by any team this season. They have the No. 5 overall pick in the draft, but are in an unfathomably poor salary cap situation, so they need to start the offseason on the right foot by making the right hire. Let’s look at head coach prospects they’ve interviewed already.
Jim Harbaugh – Head Coach, Michigan Wolverines
Harbaugh, coming off a National Championship and a 15-0 season with the Wolverines, is the best option for the chargers. A proven winner at the collegiate and professional level as a head coach, Harbaugh seems that he is ready for a return to the NFL after a scandal-filled season at Michigan. His last stint in the NFL was as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14, where he won AP Coach of the Year and an NFC Championship while posting a 44-19-1 record. Harbaugh also was the head coach of the Chargers from 2004-06 and quarterbacked the team from 1999-2000.
Giff Smith – Interim Head Coach, Los Angeles Chargers
Smith posted an 0-3 record as the interim head coach for Los Angeles this season, but it would’ve been difficult for even the greatest coaches of all time to muster up a single win in the situation he was put in. Smith has been with the organization since 2016, starting as the defensive line coach, then the outside linebackers coach, then the interim head coach.
Kellen Moore – Offensive Coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers
Moore, one of the great, young offensive minds in football, joined the Chargers’ staff before the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator, coming over from the same position from Dallas. The Chargers offense didn’t have as much success as people imagined coming into the season, but the Herbert injury and underperformance from many offensive skill players hampered the offense. It’s probably best for Moore to have more time as a coordinator before jumping up to a head coaching role, but he is a solid option for the team.
Leslie Frazier – Former Defensive Coordinator, Buffalo Bills
Frazier’s only NFL stint as a head coach was in Minnesota from 2010-2013, where he led them to the playoffs once in four tries in 2012. A defensive minded coach, Frazier has almost 25 years of coaching experience in the NFL, so his experience would be a great help for this Chargers staff.
Patrick Graham – Defensive Coordinator, Las Vegas Raiders
Graham was a part of Bill Belichick’s staff in New England for many years and was an assistant head coach for the New York Giants in 2020 and 2021. His defense for Las Vegas was generally ranked in the middle of the pack for defensive team statistics this year, posting one shutout against Minnesota on Dec. 10.
Todd Monken – Offensive Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens
Monken is no stranger to success, as he was the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs when they won back-to-back championships, and is currently the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the postseason. Monken has shown the ability to generate a successful offense with a wide array of playstyles, so he would have no issue finding a way to utilize the generational arm talent of Justin Herbert.
Mike MacDonald – Defensive Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens
Macdonald spent 2021 leading one of the best defenses in college football at Michigan before joining the Baltimore Ravens this year, leading arguably one of the best defenses in the NFL. Giving Macdonald the ability to scheme and coach with Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa as his two ends could be a recipe to have one of the most dominant pass rushes in football in 2024.
Steve Wilks – Defensive Coordinator, San Francisco 49ers
Wilks is an interesting candidate. He has had lots of success as an assistant coach in his many stops around the league, but his time at head coach hasn’t gone well in the collegiate and professional landscape. In college, his head coaching record is 5-6, and his record in the NFL is a poor 9-19. Many think that he’s better off as a coordinator, as seen with his success as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator this season, so many of these other candidates are better options than him.
The Chargers have a lot of talented coaching minds that they’ve interviewed. Harbaugh is the first choice, but if he decides to go elsewhere or stay at Michigan, there’s plenty of great talent left to choose from. In the most important offseason in the Justin Herbert era, the Chargers need to nail this head coaching hire in order to prevent further setting the franchise back.
