Who are the best candidates to replace Anthony Lynn?

Many things went right for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, but not enough for Anthony Lynn to keep his job.

In 2018 the Chargers were perhaps the darlings of the football world. The Chargers stormed to a 12-4 record and only the presence of the Kansas City Chiefs prevented them from winning the AFC West. But since then the Chargers limped to back-to-back losing seasons, and their record this season in one-score games likely contributed to the organization’s decision to part ways with Lynn:

Filling the Chargers’ head coaching vacancy is one of the more interesting puzzles to put together. The play of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert this season has been a revelation, and that might mean that a member of the offensive staff would be in line to get the job. But there are two options, and what could one man’s promotion mean for the other? Or would the Chargers go outside the organization to hire someone else and hope that they can retain one of their offensive staff members to keep some continuity around Herbert? Consistency is key for the development of a young QB, and it is hard to see the organization tipping that apple cart.

Here are the best candidates to replace Lynn.

Pep Hamilton, offensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers

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If I am general manager Tom Telesco, my first interview is with Pep Hamilton. As the Chargers quarterback coach this season, Hamilton's work with Justin Herbert is something I want to see continue into the 2021 season and beyond. You have the quarterback, and Herbert's play this past year is miles from the prospect we all evaluated last draft cycle. Do not mess with the success. Herbert's relationship with Hamilton seems to be rock-solid. Beyond that, Hamilton has head coaching experience, and experience building an organization from the ground up. Last year he was the head coach/general manager for the Washington XFL franchise, guiding that organization in its inaugural season before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to shut down. Hamilton has decades of experience coaching on the offensive side of the football and with coaching quarterbacks, and given that the Chargers need to build around Herbert, this hire makes too much sense. Yes, the other candidates are all tremendous football minds, but this is my pick if I'm in the building.

Shane Steichen, offensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers

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Then there is the play-caller. This was Shane Steichen's first season calling plays as he settled into the offensive coordinator role with the Los Angeles Chargers after serving as the team's quarterbacks coach for three-plus seasons. Some of Justin Herbert's success this season is also due to what Steichen has been designing and calling for the rookie quarterback. The issue with promoting Steichen to head coach seems to be two-fold. First, Steichen has never been a head coach before. Second, some of the situational awareness problems plaguing the Chargers this season can be put at his feet alongside Anthony Lynn's. In fact, there are many around the organization wondering if Steichen will even be back as the OC next season. (If not, the Patriots fan in me is hoping that he makes a trip to the northeast to be the next QB coach in Foxborough, but I digress). But if continuity around Herbert is the goal, Steichen might make sense.

Matt Campbell, head coach, Iowa State

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If the Los Angeles Chargers are looking outside the organization, then Matt Campbell might just be their first phone call. Campbell turned around an Iowa State program, guiding it to the top of the rankings and a win in the Fiesta Bowl just a few days ago. This season the Cyclones finished atop the Big 12 regular-season standings for the first time in school history, and their eight Big 12 conference wins is the most in the program's existence. With Iowa State's win over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl the team finished with nine wins for just the third time in history. The previous two? 1906 and 2000. If the Chargers are going to look outside the organization, but still for an offensive-minded head coach, Campbell is an ideal fit. The schematic overlap between what Justin Herbert is familiar with and Campbell's offense is ideal, and Campbell's experience in turning around a program is exactly what the Chargers need. He would need a great defensive coordinator, and his current DC Jon Heacock would also make a ton of sense - provided he does not take over in Ames - as Heacock's forward-thinking defensive schemes could be just what the NFL needs in 2021 and beyond.

Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator, San Francisco 49ers

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Coaching hires tend to be cyclical in nature. Organizations move from a head coach with one kind of background to a replacement that represents something of a 180-degree turn. Given Anthony Lynn's background on the offensive side of the football, the Los Angeles Chargers might be looking for someone with a defensive mindset. If so they should not look too far, geographically-speaking. Robert Saleh is destined to be a head coach in the NFL, and when players such as Richard Sherman are openly campaigning for such a move, we should pay attention. Given his ties to the state of Michigan the Detroit Lions seem like an ideal destination, but do not overlook the Chargers. There are certainly intriguing pieces in place on the defensive side of the football for Saleh to work with, such as Joey Bosa and Derwin James, and with the right offensive coordinator (glances at Pep Hamilton) the team could keep some cohesiveness around Justin Herbert while getting their next head coach from outside the organization.

Pat Fitzgerald, head coach, Northwestern

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Every season Pat Fitzgerald's name is mentioned as perhaps the next college coach to make the leap to the NFL. With news coming out over the past week that the current head man at Northwestern is going to consider making the move this off-season, could the Los Angeles Chargers be a fit? It is helpful to sort through Fitzgerald's resume at the outset. He inherited a Wildcats team that was struggling to get above .5000, and within three seasons Northwestern was 9-4 and in a bowl game. During his time with the program he has led the Wildcats to ten bowl games in 15 seasons, including a win most recently in the Citrus Bowl a few days ago. When you consider that the program has just 16 bowl appearances in its history, that mark is even more impressive. His tenure has also seen Northwestern make two appearances in the Big Ten Championship Game, losing to Ohio State in both 2018 and this past season. Fitzgerald has often brushed off the idea of moving to the NFL, calling the opportunity to coach at his alma mater a "dream job," but when the NFL comes knocking, many coaches leave such dream jobs behind. That is why the news that Fitzgerald will "consider his options" is worth taking note of. What he did in Northwestern is something the Chargers would love to see brought to Los Angeles, and the right OC (again, I'm glancing at Pep Hamilton) could make this an ideal situation for him.