Former LA Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has become a bit of a villain to the fanbase since his departure from the team. For the first time since he was fired after a 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, Staley will take on his former team.
The NFL schedule was released on Wednesday and while the New Orleans Saints aren't on the docket in 2025, they are a familiar preseason opponent for the Bolts. For the third time in the last four years, the Chargers will play the Saints in the preseason.
This year, the game will be played at SoFi Stadium. Suddenly, an exhibition game with no stakes has all the stakes in the world as Staley will be at SoFi Stadium to take on his old team for the first time.
Chargers fans don't have to wait long to see Brandon Staley and the Saints
The Saints hired Brandon Staley as defensive coordinator after the team hired Kellen Moore as head coach. Moore spent the 2023 season as the Chargers offensive coordinator and built up enough of a rapport with Staley to reunite with him in New Orleans.
This is Staley's first coordinator gig since he was fired by the Chargers. Staley spent the 2024 season as a defensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers. While his role was small, the 49ers went from having a top-three scoring defense in the league in 2023 to having a bottom-four scoring defense in 2024.
The outcome of the game doesn't matter and to be quite frank, the Staley reunion probably matters more to the fanbase than the players. Sure, there were some players in LA who spoke out against Staley after he left, but it's not like he was firing daggers at the team on his way out.
It is the fanbase that feels jaded by a coach who was sold as this innovative, defensive genius. The Chargers never had a good defense under Staley and his fourth-down aggression wore out its welcome quickly.
At the very least, Staley will look to send a message to his former fan base. This game may not matter but you best believe Staley is going to be in his defensive bag doing everything he can to make the Chargers offense look bad.
That probably won't be hard to do considering the game is Week 1 of the preseason. It won't be the first preseason game for the Chargers, as they are playing in the Hall of Fame game, but it is still far too early for any starters to be playing.
Thus, Chargers fans shouldn't expect the same offensive onslaught against Staley's defense that they were forced to watch for three years. Then again, it wouldn't be the most surprising thing in the world if Trey Lance and Taylor Heinicke suddenly looked like top-tier starters against the Saints.