Four days after his team blew the third-largest lead in postseason history, Brandon Staley remains head coach of the Chargers. Staley remained steadfast Wednesday that, despite speculation otherwise, he never worried about his job security.
“I am aware of the speculation, because I have to be briefed of it to be prepared for guys like you,” Staley said, via Joe Reedy of the Associated Press. “I was not worried about that because I know what goes on here on a day-to-day basis and I know what we have in the locker room.”
Staley came under fire when he played his starters in the regular-season finale and receiver Mike Williams’ season ended with a back injury. Then, it ramped up after the Chargers led the Jaguars 27-0 in the second quarter and 30-20 in the fourth quarter only to lose 31-30 on the final play.
“I’m proud that we were able to get a chance to compete,” Staley said of Saturday night’s loss. “I thought that first half showed you what our team has inside of it and the second half showed where we need to improve.”
The Chargers’ 2021 season ended in a Week 18 overtime loss to the Raiders, who appeared content to play for a tie, which would have put both teams in the playoffs, until Staley called a timeout on defense with 38 seconds left. The Raiders’ 35-32 win knocked the Chargers out of the postseason.
Staley is 19-15 in the regular season in two seasons.
