Jim Harbaugh had no choice but to fire offensive coordinator Greg Roman after the LA Chargers scored just three points in the AFC Wild Card Round. Roman's two-year tenure in LA went how most fans expected, as the hire was widely criticized at the time.
It's imperative that the Chargers nail the offensive coordinator hire, especially with several exciting names on the market. The Chargers won't get another chance to hire an offensive guru like Mike McDaniel and the team must operate with that level of urgency.
That being said, there's still some scar tissue built up from Harbaugh hiring Roman in the first place. That scar tissue isn't made any better by who the team has brought in for interviews thus far. While McDaniel is one of those names, he sits alongside someone who would be detrimental for the Bolts.
The Chargers interviewed former Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan on Friday and it doesn't stop there. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer circled Callahan as one of the names he heard connected to the Bolts this offseason.
Hiring Callahan would be a woeful move by the Chargers.
Chargers fans better hope the team doesn't hire Brian Callahan
There's value in play-calling experience and head coach experience. However, that value only goes so far when someone's track record as a head coach is as bad as it gets.
Callahan didn't last two full seasons with the Tennessee Titans. The Titans' record was atrocious in that time as Callahan trotted out one of the most dysfunctional teams in the league. Callahan finished his Tennessee tenure with a 4-19 record.
Just because someone is a bad head coach doesn't make them a bad offensive coordinator. However, it's not like Callahan has lit the world on fire with his offensive prowess. The offensive effort in Tennessee was disastrous, and his track record before that isn't even that special.
Callahan spent five seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive coordinator, where he was carried by having an elite quarterback in Joe Burrow. Cincinnati had some great offenses in that time, sure, but a truly great offensive coordinator would have accomplished far more with a top-five quarterback and top-three wide receiver corps.
Teams across the league do everything in their power to poach the Sean McVay tree where possible. Of all the offensive coaches that have been poached, Zac Taylor has easily been the worst. Callahan never coached under McVay. Hiring Callahan because of any perceived ties to McVay would be a massive miscalculation.
There are too many good options available for the Chargers to take a chance on a failed head coach who piloted the No. 27 scoring offense in 2024 and part of the No. 30 scoring offense in 2025.
Just like Roman, Callahan has legitimate baggage in his coaching past that should worry the Chargers. One would hope the Chargers learned their lesson the first time, and don't make the same mistake twice.