The Los Angeles Chargers spoke to former Florida and Ohio State national championship-winning coach Urban Meyer about taking their open head coaching spot, but SportsLine oddsmakers heavily favored Meyer to take the Jacksonville Jaguars job – and reports are that will become a formality later Thursday. With the Jags off the board, that leaves the Chargers opening as likely the most coveted in the league, and the two clear betting favorites to replace the fired Anthony Lynn are Brian Daboll and Brandon Staley.
Why is the Chargers' job better than openings in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit and New York (Jets)? The Los Angeles factor itself plays a part, plus playing in that spectacular new $5 billion SoFi Stadium even if the Chargers are essentially renting time from the Rams.
However, the biggest reason is the presence of a loaded roster, led by quarterback and likely NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 draft from Oregon established an NFL record for TD passes by a rookie with 31. He also set league rookie records for most 300-yard games (eight), most completions (396) and with multiple TD passes in seven straight games. Herbert finished 38 yards short of Andrew Luck's rookie passing yards record with 4,336, but Herbert also didn't play until Week 2.
Daboll, the Buffalo offensive coordinator, obviously can't be hired until the Bills' season is over – but they could well lose this weekend as 2.5-point home favorites in the divisional round against Baltimore. Daboll has been lauded for his work with Josh Allen, who morphed into an MVP candidate this season. In theory, it would make sense for the Bolts to hire an offensive-minded coach to help Herbert grow as a player. The New York Jets reportedly are high on Daboll as well.
The stock of Staley, the Rams' defensive coordinator, is definitely skyrocketing – especially after the performance his unit had in last weekend's 30-20 wild-card upset in Seattle. The Rams defense finished the regular season ranked first in points and yards allowed, giving up more than 28 points in a game just once. The Chargers allowed 29 or more points seven times. Like with Daboll, Staley can't be hired until the Rams lose, and they are 7-point underdogs Saturday in Green Bay.
Daboll would seem to have the edge in L.A. for a few reasons. First, he went to the same Buffalo-area high school as Chargers GM Tom Telesco. Second, Daboll has experience in incredibly different programs, including under Nick Saban at Alabama (won a national title there), Bill Belichick in New England (part of five Super Bowl teams there) and now Sean McDermott in Buffalo. Daboll has several years of experience as a coordinator, while Staley is in his first year as one.
The Chargers have interviewed those two (they never formally interviewed Meyer) along with Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Telesco has given no timetable to make a hire.
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Who will be the next Chargers head coach?
The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up almost $7,900 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception five-plus years ago. It is a sizzling 24-14 on top-rated NFL picks this season, returning well over $800. The model also enters the Divisional Round of the 2021 NFL Playoffs on an incredible 120-78 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.
