The LA Chargers hired a trio of disappointing head coaches during Tom Telesco's 11-year tenure as general manager. The best of the trio was by far Anthony Lynn, who still did a bad enough job in his last year in Los Angeles for fans to demand his departure.
Lynn went on to spend one year as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator and was fired after piloting the 25th-ranked offense in the league. The former NFL running back then went on to be the running backs coach/assistant head coach for the San Francisco 49ers for two years and spent the 2024 season as the running backs coach/run game coordinator for the Washington Commanders.
Now, after four years of coaching for three different teams, Lynn's name is finally popping up in head coach searches. According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, Lynn is a name to keep an eye on for the New York Jets' head coach vacancy.
One name I was told to keep an eye on for the Jets:
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) January 6, 2025
Anthony Lynn.
Former Chargers head coach. He was on Rex Ryan’s Jets and Bills staff. Currently the Commanders running backs coach and run game coordinator.
Former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn added to the list of potential Jets head coaches
The Jets have clearly valued experience early on in the coaching cycle so it makes sense why the team may potentially be interested in Lynn. After all, Lynn has significantly increased his value the last three season and is respected by those in the locker room.
Lynn's ties to Rex Ryan also make this an intriguing candidate for the Jets. Ryan has been very supportive of Lynn in the past, so much so that he was not shy about how much he despised Lynn's replacement in LA, Brandon Staley.
Are the two coaches going to compete against each other for the head coaching job? Or are the Jets interested in bringing Lynn in for a coordinator job with Ryan as the team's head coach? These are questions that will be answered in due time.
As bad as Lynn's last two seasons with the Chargers were, he is someone who deserves another chance in this league. Lynn not only piloted the Chargers to the best season of the last 15 years in 2018, but he also was responsible for leading the team during the move from San Diego to Los Angeles.
There were so many external factors going on during Lynn's tenure (including a global pandemic at the end) that directly impacted the game on the field. That's not to say Lynn was perfect, because he was far from it, but he was dealt one of the worst decks he could have been dealt as a head coach.
It may not be a buzzy name and Lynn probably wouldn't elevate the Jets to being a Super Bowl contender. But if the Jets want a non-controversial, leader of men at the head coach position then Lynn may be their guy.