Two decades after he was a quarterback for the team the LA Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh to be the next head coach. Hiring Harbaugh signals the start of a new era in Los Angeles that will hopefully lead to a new culture entirely.
Now the Chargers have to fill in the rest of the picture around Harbaugh. The team is reportedly looking to hire Baltimore Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz, which is a great start for the Bolts. The team also is likely going to employ Jesse Minter as defensive coordinator and is bringing Michigan strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert to LA alongside Harbaugh.
One notable position that still needs to be filled is offensive coordinator. There was early speculation that Greg Roman was the favorite and while it is still possible, he may end up getting hired for a different role on the Chargers. There is also the possibility of hiring someone who worked closely under Ben Johnson who also has ties to Harbaugh.
On Monday, the Chargers brought some clarity to the job hunt as a new interviewed candidate has emerged. Los Angeles has reportedly requested to interview Eagles senior offenisve assistant Marcus Brady for the team's offensive coordinator job.
The #Chargers have requested an interview with former Colts offensive coordinator Marcus Brady for their offensive coordinator position, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 28, 2024
Brady is currently an Eagles senior offensive assistant.
Chargers interview offensive coordinator candidate with Philip Rivers ties
Prior to joining the Eagles, Brady spent several years with the Indianapolis Colts and worked his way up through that coaching tree. Brady first started as an assistant quarterbacks coach in 2018, working his way all the way up to offensive coordinator under Frank Reich in 2021 and 2022.
Brady was fired from his role as OC midway through the 2022 season before the Colts eventually fired Frank Reich. It did not take long for Brady to find a new job as the Eagles hired him before the end of the 2022 season.
Brady was the team's quarterbacks coach in 2020 when Philip Rivers played his one season in Indianapolis. Rivers had a great last season in the league, bouncing back from a not-so-great 2019 with the Chargers. Brady was a reason for that success.
Under Brady, the Colts were also able to establish one of the better-rushing attacks in the league despite having a massive hole at quarterback Carson Wentz. Indianapolis ranked second in yards, second in yards per attempt, and fifth in rushing touchdowns in 2021 with Brady as the OC. That is a great qualifier for Brady as the Chargers look to fix a broken rushing attack in 2024.
The 2022 season was not as generous with Matt Ryan under center and Jonathan Taylor missing the start of the season with an injury. Any coordinator would have struggled in that situation, though, so that is not a massive red flag.
Regardless, Brady has been part of some special offenses and while the Chargers have much more work to do, Brady could end up being the leading candidate for the job under Harbaugh.