Tag: Dean Spanos

Spanos family makes franchise-altering decision in hiring Jim Harbaugh

This is more than a rebuild by the Spanos family. This is a franchise-altering moment.

The Spanos family saw the 63-21 loss to the Raiders in December. The Spanos family heard all the slander about their organization and at the end of the conversation, the finger usually always pointed back to them. But unlike previous years, the Spanos family wasn’t idle and instead, were aggressive in their search for the next Chargers head coach. They hired Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday and it’s easily the best decision they’ve ever made. 

The Spanos family has owned the Chargers since 1984 when Alex Spanos bought a majority stake of the team. Not including interims, the Spanos family has hired 11 coaches that, suffice to say, never quite worked out. 

Well, there was Marty Schottenheimer, who led the Chargers to a 14-2 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 2006, but the Spanos family fired him after the team was upset by Tom Brady and the Patriots. A big mistake for a coach who led the Bolts to their best record in franchise history. 

Unfortunately, there were a myriad of mistakes that followed the firing of Schottenheimer. You don’t get the reputation for being a humdrum franchise without making some big mistakes. 

In the last 11 seasons in which Dean Spanos and their son John Spanos have been at the helm of the organization, the Chargers have never reached an AFC title game or brought a playoff game to Los Angeles. 

The Chargers have had Drew Brees, Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert as their quarterback. But they haven’t been able to make a Super Bowl. A shocking fact. 

When the Spanos family hired Brandon Staley in 2021, they missed out on Super-Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton. He was reportedly interested in coaching Herbert but Payton was expensive. 

The hiring of Harbaugh was an uncharacteristic choice for the Spanos family but it speaks volumes. It says that they want their franchise to be taken seriously. And it says that Dean meant what he said in “building and maintaining a championship-caliber program.” 

Dean is notorious for being one of the worst owners in the NFL. He’s been called cheap for his unwillingness to pay coaches. He’s been accused of nepotism by hiring his son John as president of football operations. 

Now, the Spanos family not only listened to their fanbase but, in many ways, made a decision that has already changed the reputation of the franchise. 

In a statement from John on Wednesday, he said, “Nobody has built a team more successfully, and repeatedly, in recent history than Jim Harbaugh. His former players swear by him, and his opponents swear at him. Jim is one of one.”

This is more than a rebuild by the Spanos family. This is a franchise-altering moment. I suppose it was lucky number 12 for the Spanos family.

Social media reacts to Chargers hiring Jim Harbaugh as head coach

Here’s how social media reacted to the big news.

The Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach on Wednesday. 

Here’s how social media reacted to the big news: 

Chargers general manager candidate profile: Terrance Gray

Get to know Terrance Gray, a potential candidate for the Chargers’ general manager opening.

The Chargers completed an interview for their general manager position with Bills Director of Player Personnel Terrance Gray on Wednesday. Adding in Jeff Ireland and Ed Dodds, Los Angeles is up to seven reported interview candidates for general manager.

Gray joined the Bills in 2017 and ascended to assistant director of player personnel in 2020. He was promoted to full-time director of player personnel in June of 2022.

Gray comes up through experience as a college scout. Before his time in Buffalo, he worked for the Minnesota Vikings as a college scout for 11 seasons. Before that, he was with the Chiefs for three seasons in various roles.

Along with Bills’ assistant head coach Eric Washington, Gray was selected to participate in the NFL’s accelerator program in 2022. The program promotes diverse candidates, getting more spotlight on their candidacies for future head coaching and general manager positions.

Gray has playing experience as a cornerback in college. He played at Oregon State for his junior and senior seasons in 1999 and 2000.

The rapid ascent of Gray in Buffalo overlaps with the selection of Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL draft, in addition to other moves. It’s not a surprise the Chargers are looking to the original college scouts from the league’s best teams, given their current cap situation with future drafts in mind. The same is true with Joe Hortiz’s interview and candidacy from Baltimore.

Following the Chargers’ interview with Dodds on Wednesday, we’ll have to see if there are more candidates for Los Angeles to look at in their first round of interviews. Or if they start to get serious about narrowing the field with their second round of interviews instead.

Chargers’ 2023 year-end awards: Picking MVP, Breakout Player of the Year and more

Handing out awards to the Chargers players who stood out in the 2023 regular season.

The Chargers finished 5-12 in what was a dud of a season, which resulted in Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley being relieved of their duties.

While many fans are ready to put this season to bed and focus on the offseason, it’s only right to reflect and hand out the season awards to certain players for their efforts on the field.

Justin Herbert ready to give input on next head coach and general manager for Chargers

Justin Herbert is prepared to give his input on who should be the next head coach and general manager.

As the face of the franchise, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is prepared to give his input on who should be the next head coach and general manager. 

“Having been in the league for four years, I hope that I’m getting better with understanding and seeing things the way they are,” Herbert said.

The Chargers are currently looking for Brandon Staley’s and Tom Telesco’s replacements. In a statement made soon after their release, owner Dean Spanos shared that the organization’s focus would be “building and maintaining a championship-caliber program.”

Herbert signed a multi-year contract extension last July, meaning he will be the leader of the Chargers for the forseeable future. With Herbert at the helm, he knows the team’s success is part of his responsibility. 

“I know that they’re working on that and we have complete faith and trust in the front office to do their job and they’ve done a great job so far,” Herbert said. “Hopefully I’m able to talk with them and offer whatever advice I have.

We’ve got complete trust in them and if they came to me and they needed my viewpoint, my perspective, I’d love to offer it,” Herbert said. “But like I said, I believe in them. They’ve done such a great job taking care of us as players.”

The status of the organization is currently at a crossroads. If the Chargers get it right, they can make the team successful with Herbert as its figurehead and smart personnel. But if they get this wrong, it’ll be a never-ending sob story for the franchise.

Chargers head coach, general manager interview tracker

Here is a running list of the head coaching and GM candidates the Chargers have requested to interview or have interviewed.

After parting ways with Brandon Staley during the 2023 regular season, Chargers owner Dean Spanos is in search of the new head coach.

Additionally, Spanos will be looking to fill the general manager void left by Tom Telesco, who was relieved of his duties after ten years in the role.

To keep you up to date with who they will be interviewing for the head coaching and general manager positions, we have created this tracker.

Report: Chargers interested in Jim Harbaugh for head coaching job

The experienced head coach is drawing interest from the Chargers.

According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the Chargers are interested in Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh for their head coaching job.

“It’s unclear if the feeling is mutual, as Harbaugh gets set to coach the Wolverines in their third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance,” Schultz added.

Harbaugh is heading into his third straight College Football Playoff appearance with Michigan, who will face Alabama on New Year’s Day.

Harbaugh has drawn interest from NFL teams in the last two offseasons. He had an interview with the Vikings in 2022 and the Broncos in 2023 for their head coaching vacancies. He returned to coach the Wolverines both times.

Harbaugh was the head coach of the 49ers for four seasons, finishing with a 44-19-1 record and leading them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2013.

Given his experience and success as a head coach at the college and professional level, it is no surprise that the Chargers are interested in Harbaugh.

It will come down to if Harbaugh is ready to leap back into the NFL. According to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson, Michigan is working on a five-year contract extension for Harbaugh that is worth $11 million per year.

However, something could hold Harbaugh back from returning, as he could be facing a season-long suspension in 2024 for Michigan allegedly stealing signs in an illegal fashion through the use of advanced scouting and technology.

Should he decide to return to the NFL, Harbaugh will likely be at the top of the Chargers’ wish list. 

Chargers’ John Spanos after HC, GM firings: ‘Everything starts with ownership’

John Spanos spoke for the first time since the firings of Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco.

Chargers president of football operations and son of owner Dean Spanos, John Spanos, spoke for the first time since the firings of Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco.

“I think sometimes it’s maybe the misses that help you grow the most — that you can learn from the most,” Spanos said, per ESPN’s Kris Rhim. “And I think we always have to be pushing ourselves as an ownership to get better, to be better.”

Spanos said the team will have “no limitations” on the search for its next head coach and general manager.

Spanos dispelled the narrative that the organization is unwilling to spend money on coaches and executives.

“Going into this search, everything is a possibility,” Spanos said, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. “I can tell you that there have been no discussions internally about there being a max. We’re always going to do what’s in the best interest of the team.”

Spanos hired Telesco in 2013 and over those 11 seasons, the club brought in three head coaches: Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn and Staley. The one thing they had in common was that they had no prior experience as head coaches, college or professional.

That could be different this time around, as Spanos said experience could be a factor in the coaching search.

“I don’t think it can be the end-all, but absolutely it will factor. That’s an added bonus if someone does have previous head coach experience,” Spanos said, per the Associated Press’ Joe Reedy.

The Bolts have appeared in the playoffs just three times over the past ten years, have not won the AFC West division since 2009, and last made the AFC championship game following the 2007 season.

“My opinion is everything starts with ownership. Ultimately, we’re responsible for everything. What we’ve been doing has not been good enough,” Spanos said.

Staley was at the helm for a multitude of in-game meltdowns, including the 27-point blown loss to the Jaguars in the playoffs last year. Despite many calling for Staley to be fired afterward, it was not in consideration.

“As disappointing as that (playoff) game was, I looked at the whole body of work and where we were. Despite the way it ended, the trajectory at that point was still going up,” Spanos said. “So I didn’t feel a change then was in the best interest of the team.”

Now, as the organization begins its search for the next general manager and head coach, there is one priority when factoring in whoever they bring in.

“Winning the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal,” Spanos said, “and every decision we make is with that in mind.”

Social media reacts to Chargers firing Brandon Staley, Tom Telesco

Here are some of the top reactions to the news.

The Chargers fired Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco on Friday morning.

Here’s a sampling of the many responses to Staley and Telesco’s departure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instant analysis of Chargers firing Brandon Staley, Tom Telesco

What the firing of Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco means for the Chargers.

After a record-setting 63-21 loss to the Antonio Pierce and Aidan O’Connell-led Raiders on Thursday night, Los Angeles announced Friday that Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco had been fired. The interim head coach and general manager are expected to be announced Friday afternoon.

Staley finishes with a 24-24 record as Los Angeles’ head coach, and his tenure will be defined by the way the Chargers performed in big games. A timeout in a Week 18 contest against the Raiders in 2021 allowed Las Vegas more time to kick a game-winning field goal, knocking the Chargers out of playoff contention. Los Angeles made the postseason the following year, opening a 27-0 lead over the Jaguars before falling victim to one of the worst playoff collapses of all time. It seemed like they never shook the funk that loss put them in, and a 5-9 record through Week 15 was bad enough to force the franchise to fire a coach midseason for the first time since Kevin Gilbride was let go in 1998.

A former defensive coordinator with the Rams, Staley was hired as one of the brightest young minds in the game, a reversal of the conservative Anthony Lynn era. Staley’s first season on the job was marked by fourth-down discourse, as Staley continuously was one of the most aggressive coaches in the league in those situations. It paid dividends for Los Angeles, whose defense was 29th in points allowed in 2021.

With money to burn entering 2022, the Chargers brought in a number of players with ties to Staley to try to fix their defensive issues. Sebastian Joseph-Day got a hefty contract. Los Angeles traded a second-round pick for Khalil Mack. J.C. Jackson signed a massive deal to emulate Jalen Ramsey’s role with the Rams when Staley was defensive coordinator. The defense improved in points allowed but was the worst in the history of the league at stopping the run. Jackson had ankle surgery before the season and then tore his patellar tendon.

Entering 2023, the Chargers kept most things the same on defense. Jackson played poorly and then refused to enter a game after he was benched, resulting in his release. Joseph-Day and new linebacker Eric Kendricks have not played up to their name value. Young players have not developed. On the offensive side of the ball, optimism abounded about coordinator Kellen Moore, only for players to either regress or get injured as well.

That all brings us to Friday, the end of Staley’s tenure. A defensive head coach who had individual games of greatness (see: 2022 Miami), but never a season of even above-average play after adding players familiar with his system. An aggressive head coach who got less aggressive as his tenure went on.

For Telesco, the firing marks the end of a decade-long run as Chargers general manager. Hired in 2013 after serving as the Colts’ vice president of football operations, Telesco was the youngest general manager hire in Chargers history, promising to build the team through the draft and supplement the roster with free agent additions.

Building through the draft never quite worked for this regime. Keenan Allen, a third-round pick in Telesco’s first season, set a positive tone. But Telesco missed on D.J. Fluker, Jason Verrett, Jerry Tillery and Kenneth Murray in the first round and failed to find the same level of contribution in the middle and late rounds as other teams around the league. When those players did pan out, like Drue Tranquill, Kyzir White or Hunter Henry, they were allowed to hit free agency.

General managers rarely get four swings at head coaching hires. Telesco began his tenure with Mike McCoy, then moved on to Anthony Lynn. His final swing was Brandon Staley.

The Chargers will now make over their leadership team heading into a season in which they are $42 million over the salary cap with big decisions to make about every player outside Justin Herbert and Rashawn Slater.