The Chargers may not fire Brandon Staley because of how the team historically operates
On the flip side, we have to look at recent history and think about the franchise that we are talking about. It goes without saying that fans would fire Staley if the choice was up to them and there are probably a lot of organizations where it would be a no-brainer.
As frustrating as it may be, it is not a no-brainer for the Chargers because of how the team historically operates when it comes to head coaches. We told fans all season long that the Bolts wouldn't fire Staley midseason because that is not what the Spanos family does. That has ultimately come true, and there is another trend that fans should be concerned about.
In addition to not firing coaches at midseason, the Chargers historically do not fire coaches before their fourth season. The last time the Chargers fired a coach before his fourth season was in 2001 and it took a 14-34 record for that to be the case. News flash: Staley's record is far better than 14-34.
The common denominator between the two historical trends is the frugality of the franchise. Despite being billionaires, the Spanos family does not like to pay coaches to coach for other teams. Staley's deal was rumored to be a four-year deal at $4 million a year. Is Dean Spanos really going to pay him $4 million to go be a position coach for someone else? History says not.
Let's not forget that Mike McCoy got a fourth season after going 4-12 in his third season. It seemed crazy then, and it seems crazy now to keep Staley into 2024, but this is the same franchise with the same front office and same owners.