Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports – LA Chargers
3. Reports have been slow and hush-hush for a reason
Now, this could be a case of me attempting to read between the lines a bit too much, but I genuinely feel as if there is a reason why the Chargers have not made their hire yet. It is in the Bolts’ best interest to hire as soon as possible to not only begin building a staff around the new head coach, but to connect with the most important part of this search: Justin Herbert.
So why would it be taking so long? Because Daboll is still in the playoffs with the Buffalo Bills. And if they win this weekend against Baltimore, I would expect the hiring to take even longer.
It did not take this long for the LA Chargers to hire Anthony Lynn in 2017. The Chargers made that move official on Friday, January 13, which is a normal timeline for a head coach hiring. *Checks calendar* it’s January 15th.
The only other coach that seemingly got significant interest was Saleh, who was brought in for a second interview. To our knowledge thus far, no other candidate has been brought back for a second interview. I wonder why.
And even if they’re not fully committed to Daboll, the longer they wait in the process the more candidates that will continue to be hired off the market. Several teams still have head coaching vacancies and with options like Brady, some won’t wait for a respective coach to be eliminated.
If the LA Chargers had someone else, such as Saleh or Smith, on the top of their list then I believe they would have been hired as the Chargers job, really, if the best one available.
They weren’t and the LA Chargers are still without a head coach halfway through January. That, it seems, is by design.