Chargers needs to be desirous about Sean Payton for 2023

The Los Angeles Chargers have playoff aspirations. In the event that they don’t attain the postseason, the franchise ought to name Sean Payton and make a deal occur.

Brandon Staley is aware of the strain is on. And Sean Payton needs to be paying consideration.

Getting into this season, the Los Angeles Chargers were supposed to be a title contender. Getting into Week 9, they’re 4-3 and barely within the AFC playoff image.

And for his or her head coach, which means the temperature of his seat is climbing.

But Staley is essentially misunderstood, considered nationally for his fourth-down choices and never what has actually been on the heart of his tenure in Los Angeles.

Sure, he’s a foul gambler, however not due to what he does on fourth down.

The dialog round Staley continues to be about his aggressive nature when old-school logic requires a punt. Final season, Los Angeles tied for the third-most fourth down makes an attempt (37) throughout Staley’s rookie marketing campaign. This 12 months? Tied for third once more, sitting behind the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions with 17 such makes an attempt.

Due to this, Staley is seen as a go-for broke coach with a swashbuckling perspective.

That couldn’t be farther from actuality.

The Chargers have a fire-breathing dragon of a quarterback in Justin Herbert, who possesses a proper arm stronger than maybe any in soccer save Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. But Herbert’s common depth of goal in 2021 was 7.6, rating a middling 18th. This 12 months, it’s dropped to six.3, checking in thirty second of 35 qualifying quarterbacks.

Staley, who got here to the Chargers by means of being the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator, entrusted his most-important participant to the offensive thoughts of Joe Lombardi.

Lombardi had a quick historical past of being an offensive coordinator who couldn’t get something out of elite expertise earlier than going to Los Angeles. He held the position with the Lions in 2014-15, fired halfway by the second season. In ’14, Detroit’s offense had Matthew Stafford underneath heart with Reggie Bush within the backfield, and the combo of Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate on the skin. The unit ranked twenty second in factors per recreation.

In ’15, Lombardi’s group averaged 19.8 factors per recreation earlier than his firing. Within the remaining 9 video games that 12 months, Detroit’s offense averaged 24.3.

With Herbert eligible for a market-setting extension this summer time, the Chargers’ window of low-cost and elite quarterback play is shrinking. At greatest, it’s open by the ’26 season, relying on Herbert’s contract construction.

Which is why if Los Angeles doesn’t get rolling over the following 10 video games, it must make a transfer.

That transfer needs to be Sean Payton.

Payton is named probably the greatest offensive minds of this technology. At the moment, he’s working with FOX as an analyst, ready to get again into the league. Though he’s nonetheless underneath contract with the New Orleans Saints, Payton could be value just a few draft picks to the Chargers, who want an offensive overhaul yesterday.

Below Payton, the Saints went from probably the most moribund franchise within the league to a Tremendous Bowl champion in 4 years. Throughout his 16 seasons with the membership, New Orleans gained seven NFC South titles and reached the playoffs 9 occasions.

Moreover, Drew Brees was the usual for prolific passing underneath Payton. He amassed 491 landing passes and 68,010 yards from 2006-20, averaging 298.3 passing yards per recreation. Brees additionally made 12 Professional Bowls, was named a First-Workforce All-Professional, led the NFL in passing yardage seven occasions and solely twice threw for fewer than 7.5 yards per try.

All this, regardless of his greatest receivers over the complete 15-year interval being Marques Colston and Michael Thomas, together with a brief stretch of dominance from tight finish Jimmy Graham.

Payton has lengthy been identified for his revolutionary offensive schemes, marrying excessive completion charges with the power to spring receivers deep for shot performs. That is one thing sorely missing within the Chargers’ assault, even when each Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are wholesome, as was the case in 2021.

And from Payton’s perspective, this must be seen as a dream job.

The Chargers play in a world-class facility positioned in Los Angeles. They’ve an elite quarterback who will not be but 25 years outdated. The wage cap scenario is so as. Los Angeles has all its draft picks transferring ahead, even when just a few get flipped to New Orleans for his companies.

Trying across the league, take into account a possible opening in Los Angeles and ask your self what’s a greater, life like possibility?

The complete checklist of potential openings contains the Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. None of these groups have higher quarterbacks or present a greater place to reside. It’s not shut.

If the Chargers attain the playoffs, it’s not possible Staley is fired, which makes these subsequent 5 video games so fascinating. Los Angeles is popping out of its bye with 4 of its subsequent 5 tilts away from residence, going through the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Cardinals and Raiders. The one recreation at SoFi Stadium brings the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs to city.

If the 4-3 Chargers lose three or extra of those video games, it’s very attainable they miss the postseason. And if that occurs, Staley — who has by no means been anyplace within the NFL longer than two seasons — might be on the transfer as soon as extra.

Regardless of going through mounting accidents, the time to win and achieve this with Herbert on the epicenter of victory is now for Staley.

And if it doesn’t occur, Payton ought to quickly be on Line 1.