The 2026 season has been an absolute nightmare for the Los Angeles Chargers. The team is 0-7, the offense looks completely inept under offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, quarterback Justin Herbert is having an awful season, and head coach Jim Harbaugh is having the worst year of his coaching career. Even though Harbaugh led Los Angeles to two straight 11-6 seasons and got them into the playoffs his first two seasons with the team, one cannot help but feel that Harbaugh is on the hot seat.
Sure, he still has two years left on the five-year $80 million contract he signed following the 2026 season, but if it becomes obvious that he has lost the locker room and the team has quit on him then what other choice do the Chargers have than to move on?
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It’s important to remember that Harbaugh’s last time in the NFL ended rather abruptly after an 8-8 season with the San Francisco 49ers even though he had led the team to two NFC Championship appearances and one Super Bowl appearance in his first three seasons there. Crazy things can happen so if the Chargers continue to be absolutely awful then maybe Harbaugh will be let go and will be replaced by one of these three candidates.
3 coaches who could replace Harbaugh if he is let go
Mike Tomlin
It has been weird this season to watch Pittsburgh Steelers games and not see Mike Tomlin on the sideline, but his time there clearly ran its course and he had a great run which included one Super Bowl win as well as the fact that he never had a losing season.
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If Tomlin does want to return to coaching next season then the Chargers would have to be a pretty appetizing situation. While Herbert is struggling he has shown that he can be an elite NFL quarterback so that is one less thing Tomlin has to worry about.
Tomlin runs a tight ship so if he could come in, shake things up a bit, and change the culture that could be all the Chargers need to get back on track.
Kliff Kingsbury
While the Chargers may be a bit gun shy on eccentric offensive-minded coaches after the disaster that the McDaniel experience has been, Kliff Kingsbury could be a high-risk, high-reward option. His tenure as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals had some highs but also plenty of lows. Maybe they need to roll the dice on someone like him.
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He’s currently an assistant coach for the Rams so the fact that he is working with one of the best coaches in the NFL in Sean McVay might be enough to convince the Chargers that some of that McVay magic has rubbed off on him.
Nate Scheelhaase
Another option on the Rams could be offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. He’s a younger option at the age of 35 but he has worked his way up steadily through the Rams organization. He began as an offensive assistant in 2024, was promoted to pass game coordinator in 2025, and is now OC. A guy moving up like that in an organization as respected as the Rams is impressive and the fact he is offensively-minded makes him seem like a guy who could turn the offense around.
The Chargers may ultimately decide to give Harbaugh another season and instead choose to have a new offensive coordinator in order to change things, but if they want to hit the reset button then maybe one of these options would make a lot of sense.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post 3 Candidates To Replace Jim Harbaugh With Chargers Head Coach Firmly On Hot Seat appeared first on HEAVY.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
