The LA Chargers coaching staff lost one of its most important members after the 2021 season as offensive line coach Frank Smith left the team to be the offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. That is part of running a successful operation in the NFL and if the Chargers are as successful as we are expecting then it will happen after the 2022 season as well.
This is something that head coach Brandon Staley welcomes. Staley recently appeared on the Drue Tranquill Show and explained that his goal is not just to prepare his team to win but to prepare his fellow coaches for rich and beneficial coaching careers.
There are three coaches on the LA Chargers who could be coaching for a promotion with another team after the 2022 season.
1. Joe Lombardi
This is the most obvious inclusion on this list as Joe Lombardi was getting head coach buzz this past offseason after his first season as the Chargers' offensive coordinator. The long-time New Orleans Saints quarterbacks coach has the track record in the league to get his foot in the door and another top-five season offensively for the Chargers might just be enough to get him a new job.
This is ironic as well as Charger fans online were not happy with Lombardi for most of the season last year because of the perceived lack of deep balls that Justin Herbert threw. In reality, Herbert threw it deep just as much as he did the year before and the offense was even more efficient. The deep throws might be the highlights but Lombardi's job is to create a complete offense, not a highlight offense.
Lombardi is the only coach on this list that could transition to a head coaching gig after this season as that is really the only direction he has left to go. There are no more promotions that he could get between his current job and being a head coach.