Joe Lombardi will be replaced by five Chargers offensive coordinators
After the firing of Joe Lombardi, the Chargers will be looking for an offensive play-caller.
With that, here is a look at a few candidates that could take over as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Brian Johnson, Eagles quarterbacks coach
Johnson, 35 years old, spent two seasons coaching quarterbacks for the Eagles. Johnson helped oversee the development of Jalenhurts from a concept to a real MVP candidate.
Johnson spent 11 years as a college quarterbacks coach, at four schools: Houston, Mississippi State and Utah. Johnson was also an offensive coordinator at Utah, Houston, (2017), Florida, and Florida (2020), and helped Kyle Trask & Kyle Pitts get to the NFL.
Joe Brady, Bills quarterbacks coach
Brady brings plenty of offensive firepower to the table, having also worked under Sean Payton in New Orleans and bringing that to Baton Rouge as the LSU’s passing-game coordinator.
Brady’s surge began as he helped Joe Burrow become the No. Brady was the No. 1 pick in 2020 NFL Draft and one of the key architects behind the 2019 LSU offense. It is considered to be one of college football’s greatest offenses.
He was rewarded with a move to the NFL where he briefly served as the offensive coordinator for Panthers in 2020. However, he had an apparent fallout with Matt Rhule during his second season.
Zac Robinson, Rams quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator
Robinson was selected by The Patriots in Round 7 of the 2010 NFL Draft from Oklahoma State.
He was a senior analyst for PFF before moving to Los Angeles. Robinson found a home in L.A. in 2019, being hired as a replacement for Zac Taylor when he left to become the Bengals’ head coach.
Robinson worked under Sean McVay, who called Robinson a “rising star” and said he’s “got such great ownership of the quarterback position.”
Mike LaFleur is an ex-offensive coordinator for the Jets
It hard’s to blame LaFleur for the Jets’ offensive struggles in 2022, as New York dealt with injuries and inconsistent quarterback play throughout the season while failing to score a touchdown across their final three games.
But LaFleur has a creative offensive system, as he previously coached on the West Coast under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, where he served as San Francisco’s wide receivers coach and, ultimately, passing game coordinator.
Frank Reich, former Colts head coach
Reich could focus on other jobs after being fired midseason by Indianapolis. However, being able to work with Herbert may be too difficult to pass up and Reich’s experience of working with quarterbacks could be compelling to the Chargers.
He helped Andrew Luck enjoy his best season as a passer in 2018, turned Jacoby Brissett from a high-quality backup to the primary starter following Luck’s departure, got the last bit out of Phillip Rivers in 2020, and turned things around for Carson Wentz in 2021.
Reich, 61 was an offensive coordinator with the Chargers, Eagles, and Colts before he took over in 2018.
There are other potential candidates
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Dan Pitcher, Bengals quarterbacks coach
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Thomas Brown, Rams assistant coach and tight ends coach
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Shea Tierney, Giants quarterbacks coach
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Matt Weiss, Michigan quarterbacks coach
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Brian Hartline is the Ohio State offensive coordinator
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Kevin Patullo, Eagles passing game coordinator