In-season firings of head coaches don’t happen all that often in the NFL, although you might not know that from looking at the Chargers coaching staff.
Head Coach Anthony Lynn got bumped up to interim head coach in Buffalo last year after Rex Ryan was fired while offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley both lost head coaching jobs in recent years before a season was over. Given those experiences and the coordinators’ resumes, some might wonder if Lynn has set up his staff with people ready to replace him should things take a wrong turn in Los Angeles.
Lynn said Wednesday that he’s had people ask him about that, but that he’s not bothered because “those guys have my back” and believes the value they add will keep him from finding himself in such a situation.
“Something is going to cross my desk that I haven’t been exposed to, and they’re going to help me with it, and that’s going to help the organization,” Lynn said, via the San Diego Union-Tribune. “That’s all I care about.”
Lynn’s just been hired, so it makes sense that the possibility of getting fired is reserved for the recesses of the mind. NFL job security can get tenuous quickly, although Lynn should continue to enjoy it if Whisenhunt and Bradley provide the assistance that Lynn believes they’ll bring to the table.