Brandon Staley v. Jim Harbaugh Contract Comparison: Chargers Break the Bank & ‘Cheap’ Image To Hire New HC

Jim Harbaugh gave a shiny makeover to the Chargers with his newly assembled team of experts from across the football landscape. Most of these coaches already had hefty contracts with their former teams. This imposed two challenges to the franchise. First, to offer them a better contract and second, to manage their buyouts. While detailed reports regarding the buyouts of several of these coaches, the Chargers are expected to take care of it per rumors.

If these facts had been presented to a fan about a year ago, they would have hollered on the spot. This was because of the then reputation Chargers had erected of themselves. Brandon Staley, the two-year-long head coach that the Chargers fired in 2023 because of consistent poor records of the team. While it is not officially stated, the Chargers were in a four-year contract with Staley, paying him roughly $4 million per year, per the LAFB Network. Dean Spanos and Co. were considered ‘too cheap’ for the minimalistic amount they paid compared to other coaches.

However, deciding to flip the narrative, the team set their budget bar quite high when it came to Jim Harbaugh. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Jim Harbaugh’s contract with the Chargers being a five-year, $80 million deal. Per this, Harbaugh will receive an average salary of $16 million per year, almost four times that of the previous head coach. However, given the fantastic record of Harbaugh in both the pro league and CFP, the amount was expected.

During his four seasons with the 49ers, Harbaugh lead the team to the NFL Championship game thrice with one Super Bowl appearance. Moreover, he added a fresh National Championship to his resume with Michigan. Staley, on the other hand, during his three years at Chargers, scored a record of 24-24. Among these, 2023 was the worst for him with a 5-9 record. As a result, the Chargers were stringent to Harbaugh and the additional staff he selected.

Chargers’ shiny new coaching staff

Harbaugh made it his personal goal ahead of the next season to ensemble the best of the head coaches known to him. Hence, he along with Spanos’ family hired three coaches from Michigan, strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert, DC Jesse Minter, and special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh.

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Along with him, the Bills’ offensive coach Greg Roman, and the Ravens’, director of player personnel Joe Hortiz, were also hired. With their staff stacked, and players like Justin Herbert lined up, Harbaugh is set to aim straight for the Lombardi Trophy next season.

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