Los Angeles Chargers Fire Head Coach Anthony Lynn After 4 Seasons
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles Chargers fired head coach Anthony Lynn Monday after the team was eliminated from playoff contention for a second consecutive year.
The Chargers' owner, Dean Spanos, announced the move with a statement on Twitter.
"I'm not sure there is another person in this league more respected as a human being than Anthony, and I want to sincerely express my deepest gratitude for his leadership during a time of great change for our organization," Spanos said in his statement. "As we all know, this is a results-driven business and, simply put, the results of the past two years have fallen short of expectations."
Lynn coached the Chargers for four seasons, amassing an overall 33-31 record. He led the team to a playoff berth with a 12-4 record in 2018. The team finished the 2020 season on Sunday with a 7-9 record and four straight wins.
Lynn is a 20-year NFL coaching veteran, serving in assistant roles with the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. As a player, Lynn -- a running back -- was mostly a reserve and special teams player, but he was on two Super Bowl-winning teams in Denver.
The Chargers were not the first to fire their coach this season, but the Los Angeles opening could be one of the more intriguing ones of the offseason. The franchise moved into SoFi Stadium this year, but also has a talented nucleus with Herbert, running back Austin Ekeler, wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, defensive end Joey Bosa and safety Derwin James. The team has been plagued by injuries, however. James was out for the season due to a knee injury while seven starters on both sides of the ball missed at least three or more games.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press and wire services contributed to this report.)
