You have an organization that just contracted to pay more money to their quarterback than any QB in history, and he is in his fourth season and is still without a postseason win. By this time in their careers, both Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes had Super Bowl wins; the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback hasn’t even won a postseason game.
And they pay Justin Herbert more money than any quarterback ever?
This is the same organization that has a coaching staff that in recent years by many accounts has underutilized the talent on their roster.
And they keep the coach.
Why not give him a raise?
Yep, an organization that mismanages can do it in all directions, and the Chargers are filling many of the negative boxes. So, eliminate them along with 30 other teams that we don’t think are going to win the Super Bowl?
Nope.
What?
Why?
It is just too off center to not consider the possibility that the Chargers are in the perfect position to have a magical season. Last year, they were second in the AFC West to the eventual Super Bowl winning Kansas CIty Chiefs, and had built a 27-0 road lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Weekend prime time telecast.
Then lost.
In one of the most dramatic come-from-behind efforts in NFL history, the Jaguars rallied behind quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a suddenly dominant defense to eke out a one-point win, 31-30.
A great moment for the Jaguars, which they followed up with a point spread covering solid effort in Kansas City which resulted in a seven point loss, 27-20, to the soon-to-be Super Bowl champions.
Those results have long term consequences for the teams.
The Jaguars enter this year with expectations of being a clear postseason participant and possible Super Bowl winner. The Chargers have had months to bounce from that devastating loss with a better than even expected season this year.
So, we’ve got a Chargers organization that doesn’t appear to be Super Bowl caliber, but they have lots of skilled athletes on the field and a rallying point from which to start their ascent. By my way of thinking, the Jaguars could have problems this year even with an extraordinary collection of talented players, and the Chargers appear in line to take full advantage of their roster.
We’ll know a lot more six weeks from now, and know it all next February.