First-time NFL head coaches who begin their tenure with back-to-back winning seasons almost never find themselves on the hot seat, but Brandon Staley is an exception, Dan Treacy of The Sporting News reports.

Staley is coaching one of the best young quarterbacks in football in Justin Herbert, he makes some of the boldest decisions of any coach in the league, and he has arguably fallen short of huge expectations. Add in one of the largest collapses in NFL playoff history, which came on the heels of an unnecessary controversy from Week 18 this season, and his future in Los Angeles becomes cloudy. 

The Chargers made the playoffs for the first time since 2018, but is a simple playoff appearance enough to earn Staley a third season, especially after how they were eliminated in the wild-card round in 2023? 

It isn't known whether Staley needed a playoff win to save his job, though ESPN reported Wednesday that "there's outside chatter" Staley and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy "could be in trouble if their team doesn't make a deep playoff run."

Los Angeles' meltdown in Jacksonville will raise the volume of the chatter quite a bit. The Chagers led 27-0 late in the second quarter, only to be outscored 31-3 from that point and lose on a walk-off field goal. 

No one from the Chargers' front office has commented publicly about Staley's job status, and Staley still has two years remaining on the four-year deal he signed in 2021.

Even before the blown lead, Staley might have made himself more vulnerable in Week 18 when he opted to play his starters in a meaningless game against the Broncos. Mike Williams, Joey Bosa and Kenneth Murray all exited with injuries, and Williams was out for the Jaguars game with a fracture in his back. Bosa played but wasn't highly effective.

While players backed Staley after the Broncos game, the injury to Williams made Saturday's game in Jacksonville a tougher battle than it had to be.

Staley's first two seasons coaching Herbert have produced one playoff appearance and zero playoff wins. It's not inconceivable, then, that the Chargers will look at other options, including former Saints coach Sean Payton. 

Payton reportedly covets the Chargers' job and is currently living in Los Angeles.

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