Chargers might get excellent Joe Lombardi replacement from Jets

The LA Chargers may have made the playoffs as the top wild-card team in the AFC but there are still areas of the team that fans would like to see improved. Perhaps the most cited areas of improvement for Chargers fans are the offensive playcalling and overall philosophy.

Making the playoffs doesn't guarantee that Joe Lombardi will return as the offensive coordinator. Brandon Staley has shown in the past that he is willing to move on from coordinators if the fit is not right and it is hard to look at how this offense performed even when it was healthy and be totally happy about it.

Now, if the Chargers win a few playoff games and the offense looks great then Lombardi is going to be safe no matter what. But if the Chargers lose a low-scoring battle in the Wild Card Round in which the offense falters then Lombardi will definitely be on the hot seat.

If that happens, the Chargers could have an excellent option to replace Lombardi from the New York Jets. There have been conflicting reporting about Jets' offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, with initial reports indicating that he was fired that were refuted shortly thereafter.

The Chargers should be interested if the Jets fire Mike LaFleur.

Nothing is set in stone and there is a very real possibility that the Jets decide to keep LaFleur on the staff next season. That is what the team should be doing, as blaming him for the offensive woes this season when he had Zach Wilson at quarterback would be silly.

Look at what happened any time the Jets got somewhat competent play out of their quarterback. LaFleur was not perfect but he certainly is not the reason why the Jets struggled offensively this season.

Rumor has it that the Chargers have already tried to bring in an offensive mind from the Shanahan coaching tree. There was speculation that the Bolts wanted Mike McDaniels to be the team's offensive coordinator in 2021 but the 49ers blocked a lateral coaching move and instead promoted him to offensive coordinator when LaFleur left for the Jets.

So they didn't get McDaniels (who is now a head coach) but they could potentially get the guy that was the offensive coordinator before McDaniels. And it would be great. Getting this Shanahan-style influence on this offense with Justin Herbert would be phenomenal.

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Even if LaFleur is not available, if the Chargers do decide to move on they should be targeting someone from the Shanahan coaching tree.