The Chargers will now look for a new offensive play-caller after the firing of Joe Lombardi on Tuesday morning.
With that, here is a look at a few candidates that could take over as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Brian Johnson, Eagles quarterbacks coach
Johnson, 35, has spent two years coaching the quarterbacks with the Eagles, helping oversee the progression of Jalen Hurts from a project into a legitimate MVP candidate.
He spent 11 seasons as a quarterbacks coach in college, working at four different schools (Utah, Mississippi State, Houston, Florida). In addition, Johnson doubled as an offensive coordinator at Utah (2012-13), Houston (2017), and Florida (2020), helping get Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts to the NFL.
Joe Brady, Bills quarterbacks coach
Brady brings plenty of offensive firepower to the table, having worked under Sean Payton in New Orleans as an offensive assistant in 2017 and 2018.
Brady brought that knowledge to Baton Rouge as LSU’s passing-game coordinator. He helped Joe Burrow become the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft and was one of the masterminds behind the 2019 LSU offense, considered one of the greatest offenses in college football history.
He was rewarded by making the leap to the NFL, where he became the offensive coordinator for the Panthers briefly in 2020 before an apparent falling out with then-head coach Matt Rhule in his second season.
Zac Robinson, Rams passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach
The Patriots selected Robinson in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL draft out of Oklahoma State.
Before his time in Los Angeles, he worked at PFF as a senior analyst. Robinson found a home in L.A. in 2019, being hired as a replacement for Zac Taylor when he left to become the Bengals’ head coach.
Robinson worked under Sean McVay, who called Robinson a “rising star” and said he’s “got such great ownership of the quarterback position.”
Mike LaFleur, former Jets offensive coordinator
It hard’s to blame LaFleur for the Jets’ offensive struggles in 2022, as New York dealt with injuries and inconsistent quarterback play throughout the season while failing to score a touchdown across their final three games.
Nonetheless, LaFleur still has a creative system that could work really well with the Chargers. He previously coached on the West Coast under 49ers head coach and offensive guru Kyle Shanahan, serving as San Francisco’s wide receivers coach and, ultimately, passing game coordinator.
Frank Reich, former Colts head coach
After being fired by Indianapolis at midseason, Reich may focus on bigger jobs than an offensive coordinator position. However, being able to work with Herbert may be too difficult to pass up, and Reich’s experience of working with quarterbacks could be compelling to the Chargers.
He helped Andrew Luck enjoy his best season as a passer in 2018, turned Jacoby Brissett from a high-quality backup to the primary starter following Luck’s departure, got the last bit out of Phillip Rivers in 2020, and turned things around for Carson Wentz in 2021.
Reich, 61, was an offensive coordinator for the Chargers and Eagles before taking over the Colts in 2018.
Other potential candidates
- Dan Pitcher, Bengals quarterbacks coach
- Thomas Brown, Rams assistant head coach and tight ends coach
- Shea Tierney, Giants quarterbacks coach
- Matt Weiss, Michigan quarterbacks coach
- Brian Hartline, Ohio State offensive coordinator
- Kevin Patullo, Eagles passing game coordinator
