Chargers fire Staley and Telesco, vacancy isn't as good as some might think

On Friday, The Los Angeles Chargers fired head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco. On the surface, this seems like a great opening, but I don't think it's as good as some think. This was a move that was going to happen at some point, and the breaking point for the organization was the beatdown at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Losing by 42 points is insane, and doing it on the national stage against a divisional opponent was the icing on the cake for the firing to happen. Now, the Chargers will be looking for their third head coach in the Justin Herbert era. Justin Herbert seems to be viewed as an elite QB in the NFL, but what exactly make him so special?

Sure, he's big and he has a nice arm, but he's also been the same QB in year one as he is now. He's statistically the same QB, doesn't have a signature win, and never seems to not play within the structure of the offense. Herbert doesn't posses anything with his game that should propel him into discussion with the truly elite QBs.

Wins are not a QB stat, but I don't think there's a single instance of Justin Herbert having a signature win, if you will. He's kind of just there. During his career, he's been consistent, and hasn't really improved much. But, Herbert is talented and signed a huge contract, so he's going to be there for the future.

A couple more huge issues with the Los Angeles Chargers is their notoriously cheap owner, Dean Spanos, and them also being about $42 million OVER the cap in 2024, according to Over The Cap. The Chargers have a ton of their cap space allocated to Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, Joey Bosa, and Khalil Mack, and there is strong reason to part with each player at season's end.

If the Chargers were to designate each player as a post-June 1st cut in 2024, they'd save $88,350,000. Yes, you read that right. They'd save nearly $100 million by cutting each player with a post-June 1st designation. And when you look at each players' situation, I don't think they'd be able to be traded.

Mike Williams is always hurt. Keenan Allen is old. Joey Bosa is always hurt, and Khalil Mack is old. And each player is on an extremely rich contract, so I think a new regime might make the tough decision to part ways with each of them. And well, those are four of the best players on the roster, so you are also parting with a ton of talent.

Other veterans like Corey Linsley, Eric Kendricks, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Derwin James, and Morgan Fox could all be parted with. I think the best course of action for this Chargers team is something that'll take multiple seasons. The smart idea might be to keep the core, foundational pieces around and slowly build the team back up the right way by hitting on players in the NFL Draft and tastefully spending in free agency.

I think a horrible idea here is to try and rush the process since Justin Herbert is on the team, and a new regime might just have to accept that this roster needs a lot of work.