With the way the Los Angeles Chargers' season has gone so far, it's safe to assume that Mike McDaniel's job won't be safe for long—unless there's some miraculous turnaround waiting in the wings somewhere.
But unless McDaniel can somehow make this a top offense and resurrect Justin Herbert by the end of the season, it's hard to see the Chargers deciding to bring him back for another go at things. That doesn't mean he'll necessarily be fired this week, but it does mean that Los Angeles, in all likelihood, needs to start exploring its options for who will take over this offense in 2027.
It's far too early to tell who will actually be on the coaching market this offseason, and it remains unclear what type of schematic shift Los Angeles will be looking to make if they cast aside McDaniel's West Coast scheme. But in a vacuum, Shane Steichen—currently the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts—would be a preferred option.
With Indianapolis' decision to move on from general manager Chris Ballard after years of criticism and middling performance, Los Angeles is now one step closer to having a shot to bring Steichen back into the fold.
Shane Steichen may not be long for his time in Indianapolis—and the Chargers could be the benefactor
In a vacuum, this firing from the Colts is not a surprise in the slightest. After starting off last year surprisingly well with Daniel Jones at quarterback, the organization decided to go all in, dealing a pair of first-round picks and wider receiver AD Mitchell to the New York Jets in exchange for one of the league's top cornerbacks in Sauce Gardner. But when Jones went down with a torn Achilles, the whole season essentially went down the tank.
Jones made a somewhat miraculous return at the start of this campaign, and he's played in all six games for the Colts. But the on-field product has, frankly, been abysmal. Indianapolis is just 2-4, and they're in the middle of the pack in terms of both passing and rushing attacks, while the defense has been among the worst units in the league over the first third of the season.
What's notable is that the firing comes now, in mid-season, after over a decade of sub-par performance in Indianapolis. Here's the Colts' statement on the matter, if that helps shed any light on the issue:
The #Colts have fired general manager Chris Ballard, per the team pic.twitter.com/ImTz1YGTXh
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 19, 2026
There's two ways to read this firing. Firstly, perhaps the organization places the blame on Ballard for some of the disappointing moves the team has made over the last year or so, meaning that Steichen will get a true opportunity to right this ship over the remainder of the season. But perhaps that "sense of urgency" also means that Steichen is in real trouble if things continue to spiral over the remainder of the campaign for the Colts.
Steichen spent just one season with Herbert as the Chargers' offensive coordinator before the end of the Brandon Staley era sent him to Philadelphia. But it was, in many ways, the best and most promising season of Herbert's career to this point. Herbert finished the year completing 66.6% of his passes for 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while the Chargers offense finished ninth in the NFL in total yards.
A lot of water has passed between Steichen and Herbert since that time, but if Los Angeles is searching for a new offensive coordinator this offseason and Steichen is on the job market, it's almost certain he'll be one of the top names on their list.
There's other considerations here, of course, including the undisclosed amount of money they'll owe to McDaniel even if he's not working for the organization. But the goal should be to find a way to give Herbert his confidence back and to maximize him as one of the league's top quarterbacks, and Steichen seems to be the top potential option for now in that regard.
Add us as a preferred source on Google