Ladd McConkey delivered the final nail in Greg Roman's Chargers coffin

There's a lot of blame to go around for the Los Angeles Chargers' embarrassing defeat in the Wild Card Round.

Although he was under immense pressure all night, Justin Herbert left some plays on the table. The offensive line was abysmal yet again. Even Jim Harbaugh made some questionable game management mistakes that cost the team valuable time when they were down two scores.

But almost no one has gotten more heat than offensive coordinator Greg Roman, and deservedly so. It was announced Tuesday afternoon that Los Angeles had decided to part ways with Roman after his second season with the team.

Against the New England Patriots, Roman routinely failed to scheme any of the Chargers' playmakers into the game, instead allowing them to be neutralized by a middling New England secondary.

Ladd McConkey's comments on the offense this season reflect his frustration at this fact and, in the process, gives another excellent justification for Roman's firing:

The Chargers need an offensive coordinator that can maximize their existing weapons

The offseason talk for the Chargers the past few seasons has centered around giving Justin Herbert the offensive weapons he needs to be competitive. In fairness, the organization has tried.

They've spent high draft picks on pass-catchers, selecting Quentin Johnston, McConkey, Omarion Hampton, and Tre Harris in the first and second rounds.

McConkey, especially, looked promising in his rookie season. He amassed 1,149 yards and 82 receptions on 112 targets in 2024, looking like a versatile threat both in the slot and on the outside.

In 2025, however, his impact was not the same. With a stagnant offense and Harris and Keenan Allen to feed as well, McConkey garnered just 789 yards and 66 receptions on 106 targets. Their next leading receiver was Allen, who amassed 777 yards on the season.

In some sense, this is merely a product of the balanced offense Los Angeles has attempted to implement.

His performance against the Patriots, however, proved this is not entirely the case. He saw just four targets on the night, going for 32 yards on three receptions. With the other receiving threats the Chargers have, how is it possible that Roman was only able to scheme up McConkey, their greatest YAC threat, for only four opportunities with the ball?

Los Angeles offense will find success by getting the ball into the hands of their playmakers. Roman continually failed to do that in his tenure with the team, and their loss to New England was just the latest example.

McConkey is understandably frustrated with how limited and narrow-sighted the offense has been. The frustration of a team's stars is almost never a good sign for a coach or coordinator, and McConkey's statement was likely indicative of more than just his personal feelings.

Roman's firing has finally come, and one can be certain that his inability to get the ball to the Chargers' most lethal weapons played a role in it.