It was not that long ago that things were looking up for the Los Angeles Chargers, as it pertains to their coaching staff.

Jim Harbaugh was staying, of course, and Jesse Minter was coming off another brilliant season of running the Chargers defense. The offense, which would probably be identified as the team's Achilles' heel this season, was about to get a makeover under the tutelage of former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.

That rosy scenario might, unfortunately, be meeting an untimely end.

The Chargers are now in the market for a new defensive coordinator after Jesse Minter accepted an offer to take over as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, and nobody will be surprised if he takes a coach or two from the Chargers staff with him.

Los Angeles is trying to get ahead of this, bringing in Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr to interview as Minter's replacement. That could be bad news for the team's chances to re-sign Odafe Oweh, who saw a huge increase in production after being traded from the Ravens to the Chargers early in the 2025 NFL season.

This news should maybe make you nervous:

The Chargers have not officially announced Mike McDaniel as the team's offensive coordinator yet. And, as of today, he's interviewing with the Buffalo Bills to potentially take over as the head coach of another AFC East team.

Should the Bills decide to hire McDaniel, the Chargers would potentially be left in a position of not having either an offensive or defensive coordinator as they head deeper into the offseason.

I said a week or so ago that I didn't see why McDaniel would take the Chargers OC job, because I thought he would pretty easily find his way back to a head coaching gig without needing to prove himself, and I may still turn out to be right. You won't find me gloating, though, because having McDaniel leave the Chargers high and dry would be a very bad thing for Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles offense.

I had to include this news because it's fun:

If the Bills decide against hiring Mike McDaniel as their head coach, one of their other options would be to hire former Chargers and Colts QB Philip Rivers. He is also interviewing with the Bills today, no word on whether he is going before or after McDaniel, and I wouldn't be surprised if he were hired considering the loudest voice in the room might belong to Bills QB Josh Allen.

Rivers shocked the world by returning to the NFL this season after five years off, leaving behind his job as a high school football coach, and was respectable enough that it has changed how many think about his Hall of Fame eligibility. 

It would be the first time, as far as I can remember, that someone went from coaching a high school football team straight into coaching an NFL team, but I also wouldn't be surprised if someone with Rivers' love and knowledge of the game was able to hit it off with Josh Allen and bring the type of vibes and energy that the organization is looking for.