The LA Chargers picked a perfect time to have a head coaching vacancy as there are some massive, unexpected names that have become available during the 2024 cycle. Jim Harbaugh alone is a big-name candidate and now the likes of Mike Vrabel, Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick are out as head coaches.
There has been speculation around Belichick's future for weeks and his fate was made official early Thursday morning. The most decorated coach of all time and the New England Patriots have agreed to part ways after two-plus decades and six Super Bowls.
Belichick instantly becomes the most decorated head coach to ever be available in a coaching cycle and there are a lot of intriguing jobs for him to pursue. None more so than the Chargers, who have a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert as well as a GM opening for Belichick to potentially retain roster control.
Many fans would sign up for this Belichick experience without thinking twice. After all, he is the greatest coach of all time and has more on his resume than every other coach in the cycle combined. But the Chargers can't make this decision based on emotions. From an objective point of view, hiring Belichick might not be the best move.
Chargers must avoid hiring Bill Belichick at all costs
Don't get it wrong, if the choice was between Belichick and some random coordinator (like Brandon Staley was) then Belichick would be the obvious choice. That is not the situation in 2024, however, as the Chargers have a lot of great candidates to choose from. Pretty quickly Belichick seems himself slide farther and farther down the list.
The problem with hiring Belichick isn't necessarily his head-coaching ability. Belichick is still a defensive mastermind and could fix that side of the ball for the Chargers. The problem is all of the other things that come with hiring Belichick that have made his post-Tom Brady run so bad, to begin with.
First if the GM side of the job. If Belichick were to come to the Chargers he would likely get a big say on the roster decisions. Even if the Chargers hire a new GM, Belichick would work it into his deal that he would work side-by-side with said GM to make roster decisions. If you thought Tom Telesco's draft resume was bad, go look at Belichick's resume from the last 5-6 years.
There are also the coaches that Belichick has surrounded himself with. Belichick has a pretty awful track record of hiring coaches in recent years, making decisions like letting Matt Patricia be the offensive coordinator in 2022 to completely derail all of Mac Jones' development.
Wherever Belichick goes Josh McDaniels will likely follow and we all saw how beloved he was in the Raiders locker room. Belichick will also probably bring his son along, and whatever other nepotism hires he makes to the rest of the coaching staff.
The Chargers would very quickly become "Belichick's Chargers" and even with his six Super Bowl rings, he hasn't earned the right to waltz into the building and take it over after how bad the last four years have been. Sure, he is an all-time great, but the Chargers would be hiring Belichick for 2024 and beyond. They are not hiring Belichick for 2001-2018.
The Bolts need to do what is best for the long-term future of the franchise and while Belichick the coach is great, Belichick the entire package is not. Herbert and the Chargers are more than just a vehicle for a 72-year-old to reach the all-time wins record and call it a career.