The LA Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh this offseason to officially add the necessary Super Bowl ingredient the team was missing. Los Angeles had the elite quarterback necessary to be a Super Bowl contender but the team did not have the head coach. Now, the Bolts do.
By hiring Harbaugh, the Chargers instantly created one of the best quarterback-head coach duos in the entire NFL. The rest of the roster still matters but if a team can figure out this pairing then a lot of the roster's shortcomings can be overlooked.
Let's dive into where exactly the Chargers stand compared to the rest of the league. This exercise is good to see where the Bolts stand while also giving fans an idea on how the league as a whole may shake out in 2024.
Ranking every quarterback-head coach duo in the NFL in 2024:
Tier 8: Bottom of the barrel
- 32. Tennessee Titans (Will Levis and Brian Callahan)
- 31. New Orleans Saints (Derek Carr and Dennis Allen)
- 30. Las Vegas Raiders (Gardner Minshew and Antonio Pierce)
Each of these pairings has something fans should be concerned about. The Raiders have a head coach with only a few interim games under his belt and a quarterback who is a veteran backup. New Orleans has a veteran who has not looked the same in recent years paired with arguably the worst head coach in the league. The Titans, well, they have it the worst off.
Tennessee firing Mike Vrabel still doesn't make much sense, especially considering who they replaced him with. Nothing against Brian Callahan but it is not like the team replaced Vrabel with a superstar.
Tier 7: There is at least some reason to be optimistic
- 29. Carolina Panthers (Bryce Young and Dave Canales)
- 28. New England Patriots (Drake Maye and Jerod Mayo
- 27. Washington Commanders (Jayden Daniels and Dan Quinn)
These teams at least have some potential to talk themselves into, even if it might be more far-fetched for some than others. The common trend here is simple: each team has a young quarterback and a head coach who needs to prove themself.
Dan Quinn is the only head coach in this grouping with prior head coaching experience but it does not serve as a positive in these rankings. After all, Quinn was responsible for the worst loss in NFL history.
Tier 6: One person in the relationship is hard to judge
- 26. Seattle Seahawks (Geno Smith and Mike Macdonald)
- 25. Atlanta Falcons (Kirk Cousins and Raheem Morris)
- 24. Indianapolis Colts (Anthony Richardson and Shane Steichen)
- 23. Denver Broncos (Bo Nix and Sean Payton)
- 22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Baker Mayfield and Todd Bowles)
- 21. Minnesota Vikings (J.J. McCarthy and Kevin O'Connell)
- 20. Arizona Cardinals (Kyler Murray and Jonathan Gannon)
- 19. New York Giants (Daniel Jones and Brian Daboll)
This is fittingly the largest tier on the entire list. This collection of eight teams can all go different directions based on the 2024 season. Some teams may plummet to the bottom of this list while others can answer the concerns and move up the list.
In some cases the quarterback is the person in the relationship who needs to prove themselves. That is the case for the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. For the other teams in the list, the head coach needs to prove himself.
Tampa Bay is the one weird team in this group as both Baker Mayfield and Todd Bowles have been around the league. Ironically enough, they are the most proven tandem in this group but still need to prove that their playoff run last season wasn't a mirage.
Tier 5: Good quarterback, bad coach
- 18. Chicago Bears (Caleb Williams and Matt Eberflus)
- 17. New York Jets (Aaron Rodgers and Robert Saleh)
Yes, I feel confidently enough in Caleb Williams to rank the Bears this high. Williams has not played an NFL snap but he has all the makings of being a franchise guy. Matt Eberflus isn't necessarily a great head coach, although his defense in Chicago has improved over his tenure.
It is fitting that Williams is in the same grouping as Aaron Rodgers as the two quarterbacks have a similar skillset and are interesting at different points in their career. Williams is just getting started while Rodgers looks to hold onto whatever he has left.
Tier 4: Great coach who needs more out of his quarterback
- 16. Pittsburgh Steelers (Russell Wilson and Mike Tomlin)
- 15. Miami Dolphins (Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel)
- 14. Cleveland Browns (Deshaun Watson and Kevin Stefanski)
There is no denying how talented any of the coaches in this tier are. Mike Tomlin is the experienced coach in the group as he has been a model coach for consistency in Pittsburgh — even if the team has not had much playoff success in recent years.
Kevin Stefanski is already a two-time Coach of the Year for his efforts making the Browns relevant even with bad quarterback situations. Mike McDaniel is the offensive genius who has turned Miami into one of the most exciting teams in the league, overcoming his quarterback's shortcoming in the process.
Tier 3: Duos that could go on a Super Bowl run if everything goes right
- 13. Jacksonville Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson)
- 12. Houston Texans (CJ Stroud and DeMeco Ryans)
- 11. Detroit Lions (Jared Goff and Dan Campbell)
- 10. Philadelphia Eagles (Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni)
- 9. Dallas Cowboys (Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy)
Any one of these teams can go on a Super Bowl run if the pieces around them fall into place and the team gets hot at the right time. The exact order of this grouping can certainly be debated until the end of time but the reality is they are all in the same boat and can make the same amount of noise in 2024.
Every quarterback except CJ Stroud either recently signed a massive extension with their respective team or is due for a massive extension in the near future. And once Stroud is eventually due for a new contract he will reset the market once more.
Nobody on this list is looking for a replacement quarterback or head coach right now. However, falling short of expectations will have a big impact on each head coach in this tier, while a great year in 2024 will only cement their job security.
Tier 2: The best of the best
- 8. San Francisco 49ers (Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan)
- 7. Buffalo Bills (Josh Allen and Doug McDermott)
- 6. Green Bay Packers (Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur
- 5. Cincinnati Bengals (Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor)
- 4. LA Chargers (Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh)
- 3. Los Angeles Rams (Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay)
- 2. Baltimore Ravens (Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh)
This is where the LA Chargers land and it should serve as a huge eye-opener for fans. Talent-wise, the Chargers are worse than just about every team in this tier, which is naturally going to hold them back in 2024. However, the Chargers are elite in the two most important areas, which established a floor that is higher than most other teams.
Some of these teams have better coaches than quarterbacks. That is the case with the 49ers and the Rams (San Francisco more so than Los Angeles, as evidenced by the rankings). Others are carried slightly by the quarterback, which is the case for Buffalo and Cincinnati.
The Chargers, Packers and Ravens all don't have one half of the relationship that is worse than the other. With another elite season, Jordan Love will join Herbert and Lamar Jackson, potentially replacing the Rams if Matthew Stafford regresses.
Tier 1: In a league of their own
1. Kansas City Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid)
Sorry to say, but there is no team that is even on the same tier as the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City has the best quarterback on the planet, who is in a league of his own, and the most accomplished active coach in the NFL now that Bill Belichick is retired.
There is a reason why the NFL is the Chiefs' league right now. Regardless of which pieces fill out the rest of the roster, Kansas City has the best 1-2 punch in the league and it is not particularly close.