The Los Angeles Chargers have announced their interim head coach after firing Brandon Staley on Friday. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Giff Smith will serve as the team’s frontman for the rest of the 2023 season.
Source: The #Chargers have named Giff Smith interim head coach and JoJo Wooden as interim GM.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 15, 2023
The Chargers have three games remaining in the regular season. Smith will make his head coaching debut against the Buffalo Bills next Saturday.
Giff Smith: Takes Over for Rest of 2023 Season
The Los Angeles Chargers will promote outside linebacker coach Giff Smith to head bench boss for the remainder of the year. Smith has served on the Chargers staff since 2016, working as a position coach on the defensive side of the ball. Smith started his coaching career in 1991 with the Arkansas Razorbacks as a graduate assistant (GA). The Georgia Southern product spent nearly two decades coaching college football before transitioning to the NFL, landing the defensive line coaching job with the Buffalo Bills in 2010. Former defensive standout Kyle Williams earned All-Pro honors while playing under Smith in 2010.
Smith worked for the Tennessee Titans from 2014 to 2016 under the same job title before heading to the Chargers. During his tenure with Los Angeles, he worked under head coaches Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn, and Brandon Staley.
Los Angeles Chargers: Fired Head Coach Brandon Staley After Abysmal Showing on TNF
The Los Angeles Chargers are fresh off an embarrassing 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football. The Chargers allowed a new franchise high in points, allowing then-head coach Brandon Staley to get fired. The Chargers largely disappointed this season despite deploying star quarterback Justin Herbert. The Chargers went 24-24 during Staley’s tenure, never winning a playoff game. After Thursday’s loss, Los Angeles sits in the basement in the AFC West. Additionally, Herbert will miss the remainder of the season to repair a fracture to his right index finger.
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