Giff Smith, the Chargers’ outside linebackers coach, will replace Staley and director of player personnel JoJo Wooden will replace Telesco on an interim basis. But he did say, “We felt a new direction was best.” Spanos declined to second-guess ownership’s decision to keep Staley and Telesco on the job after last January’s debacle in Jacksonville. “Everything starts with ownership,” he said.Īsked specifically about firing Telesco after such a lengthy tenure, Spanos again declined to delve into specifics. Spanos did not absolve himself or his father for the Chargers’ failures, though. “(But) we weren’t where we needed to be,” Spanos said. Staley was in high demand after one season as the Rams’ defensive coordinator for the 2020 season. Spanos simply would not criticize Staley, the third consecutive first-year coach the Chargers hired after Anthony Lynn (33-31 from 2017 to ’20) and Mike McCoy (27-37 from 2013 to ’16). “I don’t want to kick someone when they’re down,” Spanos said.Įxpectations simply weren’t met over the past two seasons, with the Chargers going 10-7 during the 2022 season but losing their AFC wild-card playoff game to the Jacksonville Jaguars after building a 27-0 first-half lead and then slumping to a 5-9 record going into the final three games this season.
