LA Chargers: Anthony Lynn signed to multi-year extension
Heading into the final year of his contract, the LA Chargers have given Anthony Lynn a multi-year extension that will keep him in Los Angeles for the long haul.
Despite a disappointing 2019 season, head coach will be a position staying the same for the Chargers in the near future. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Anthony Lynn will be staying in Los Angeles for multiple years after signing an extension.
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn was given a contract extension this past week that now leaves him with "multiple years on his contract," a source told ESPN.https://t.co/Nxzslu9Grs
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 2, 2020
There was never real doubt at any time that Lynn was staying for 2020. He had built enough goodwill in the organization following the two winning seasons he led. However, we didn’t really know the picture beyond 2020. A multi-year extension doesn’t really tell us the exact number of years, but Lynn reaching a second contract with the team is big. Norv Turner was the last head coach the Chargers extended in 2010.
This also should signal relatively high organizational confidence in general manager Tom Telesco. Telesco is heading into his seventh year as general manager with the team generally going in the right direction. That may feel hard to say after a 5-11 season, but the team has top tier NFL talent at several positions with a generally good amount of cap room. An extension for Lynn while Telesco just signed an extension last year is a good thing for organizational stability as the team tries to prepare for the 2020 season.
The organization also has to have confidence in Lynn and the current regime as it heads into what is certainly a transitional period. While the team will keep most of its elite talents in 2020, they are likely going to have to find a new quarterback with Philip Rivers‘ move to Florida. It would be a stressful transition to make with no job security.
Ultimately, extending Lynn is the right decision. He’s been good for the team and has absolutely been better than Mike McCoy and late-era Turner in terms of game management. There were questionable decisions made last year, especially later in the season when Jerry Tillery and Trey Pipkins were benched when what they need is more development.
Other than that and some moments that could have gone either way though, there are reasons to be confident with a new offensive voice that isn’t Ken Whisenhunt.
Next. A thank you to Philip Rivers
From the standpoint of team morale, as well as his good 2017 and terrific 2018 seasons, bringing Lynn back for the long term is the right call. Lynn had a lot of forces working against him in 2019, including key injuries to Derwin James, Adrian Phillips, Russell Okung, Forrest Lamp, Nasir Adderley, and Mike Pouncey.
All of those key injuries go without even mentioning the severe decline of Rivers and the holdout of Melvin Gordon that affected his play all year.