Jim Harbaugh has done a good job building a quality staff on the LA Chargers, most recently hiring Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator and Chris O'Leary as defensive coordinator. The hope moving forward is that Harbaugh won't make another mistake akin to hiring Greg Roman.
Well, the latest coach tied to the Chargers in the rumor mill is even worse than Roman. Thankfully, he wouldn't have as impactful of a role.
According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets head coach Adam Gase has emerged as a possibility for an offensive assistant role with the Chargers. Gase hasn't coached in the NFL since 2020.
Chargers fans better hope Adam Gase stays far away from the Chargers
There is only so much damage an offensive assistant can do, so Chargers fans don't have to worry about Gase holding the offense hostage like Roman did for two years. However, that doesn't change the fact that this would be a bad hire for the Bolts.
There's a reason Gase has gone a half-decade without coaching in the NFL. His head coaching tenure with the New York Jets couldn't have gone any worse. He became a laughingstock in the league with a 9-23 record across two years with the Jets.
His three-year stint with the Miami Dolphins wasn't much better. He did lead the Dolphins to a first-round playoff loss in his first season but was fired after three years with a 23-25 record. Gase has cracked the list of the top-25 worst head coaches of the 21st century. That's how bad it is.
Gase gained prominence in league circles for his relationship with Peyton Manning in Denver during Manning's late-career surge. Gase was the quarterbacks coach for two years before serving as the offensive coordinator for two years. It's not hard to see how the league convinced itself of Gase, considering Manning played the best football of his career under him.
However, it became clear with time that had a lot more to do with Manning than it did with Gase. He failed to bring any of that in either of his head coaching roles. In one year as the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator, the Bears ranked 18th in total offense.
Again, an offensive assistant coach isn't going to make or break an entire season. But the Chargers should continue the trend of hiring up-and-coming young coaches that can take over for this generation on the staff, not someone who failed miserably in his last job... six years ago.