Coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were fired by the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday morning after one of the worst losses in franchise history.
The Chargers made the playoffs last season but are one of this year’s biggest disappointments at 5-9, with losses in five of their last six games. They dropped into last place in the AFC West after Thursday night’s 63-21 loss at Las Vegas to the Raiders.
It was the most points allowed in franchise history and the 42-point margin the third-worst.
Staley — who had an overall record of 24-25 — is the third NFL coach to be fired this season, joining Josh McDaniels of the Raiders and Carolina’s Frank Reich.
It is the first time since 1998 that the Chargers have made an in-season coaching move.
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Telesco had been the general manager since 2013. The team only made three playoff appearances under his tenure and were 86-95 overall.
When the Chargers fell behind 42-0 late in the second quarter, some thought the move should have happened at halftime.
“Brandon Staley. I hate to say this because you don’t ever want to call for somebody’s job, but they should fire him. They should make history. They should fire him at halftime,” Amazon Prime Video analyst Richard Sherman said. “We’ve got an Uber X carpool outside and we’ll send you on your way because right now, I’ve never seen a team come out this uninspired.”
While Staley had been confident about his job security in the past, Thursday night’s titanic defeat had him questioning his future. He said “I don’t know” when asked if he would still be leading the Chargers on Friday.
