As Sean Payton Chases The Chargers, Can Dean Spanos Pull The Trigger

Can the Los Angeles Chargers be bold at the right time?

Sean Payton has made it clear among league insiders that he’d love a shot at coaching the Chargers. The idea of pairing him with young quarterback Justin Herbert and the rest of the talented Chargers offense seems to be a logical move, particularly when people consider the near future of football in Los Angeles.

Sean Payton stepped away from the New Orleans Saints at the end of the 2021-22 season. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

But will Chargers owner Dean Spanos do it?

“It’s a great question because Dean usually overthinks things that are obvious, but then he sometimes makes a snap decision you don’t expect,” a fellow owner said. “Should he do it? It’s pretty obvious.”

To that owner, who said he counseled Spanos numerous times about the difficulty of moving to Los Angeles, the issue is not so much about whether Payton is clearly a better coach than the still-unproven Brandon Staley.

“You’re in L.A. You better capture attention. You put Sean Payton together with a quarterback like (Herbert), you capture attention,” the owner said. “And the way I see it, the Rams are going to be taking a dip for a while.”

A Logical Progression Of Events In LA

In other words, the Chargers, who came to Los Angeles with no built-in fan base, have a chance to both elevate their profile above the Rams and win at the same time.

“Is Staley a bad coach? No, I don’t think so. But he’s not proven and they need a guy who can get them over the top,” an NFC general manager said. “If you’re telling me they can really get Payton, I don’t think it’s much of a debate. Sure, maybe Staley goes on a run and forces them to keep him. I don’t see it.”

Getting Payton would require the Chargers to make a trade with New Orleans, which still controls Payton's rights. It would also require the Chargers to make Payton incredibly well-paid, likely at more than $12 million per year on a longer-term deal. Finally, the team would have to swallow the remainder of what it owes Staley.

It would be a decidedly out-of-character move for the usually conservative Spanos.

Chargers Owner Dean Spanos is not known for making huge money spending deals. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The GM stopped to ponder the situation a little more.

“But man, that’s a big-time move to make after just two years. It’s one thing to talk about. It’s another thing to do it.”

Can Dean Spanos Pull The Trigger On Sean Payton

That is where both the owner and the GM said they wondered if Spanos or even his son John, who oversees the football operations, have the nerve to make the move. The owner said it reminded him of what happened in 2006 when Spanos fired Marty Schottenheimer after a 14-2 season and how Spanos handled the Chargers relocation to San Diego.

“Both times, he didn’t know how to handle the situation. Instead of letting (Schottenheimer) have a little rope after the big season and keeping the peace between Marty and (then-Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith), he made a snap decision and tried to be the tough guy. With L.A., he never played the tough guy when he should have and the whole thing played out on him instead of him playing it out,” the owner said.

“In this one, he should grab the opportunity and ride it, but I just don’t know if he’ll do that."