Jim Harbaugh may still have the backing of the Chargers, but the ground underneath him is getting shakier by the week.
A year that opened with genuine AFC West optimism has turned into something far harsher: Los Angeles is the NFL’s only winless team, and the question that would have seemed absurd in August is now hanging over every Harbaugh news conference. Is his job actually in danger?
The answer around the league remains no, at least for now. Harbaugh has built up enough credit to buy time, and the Chargers’ ownership has never exactly made a habit of moving fast on coaches.
He inherited a franchise with a long history of finding new ways to lose and went 11-6 in each of his first two seasons. That kind of success matters, even when the present has gone sideways this badly.
Money matters too. Walking away from a contract after a bad half-season is not the kind of move an ownership group known for watching its money is likely to make.
Still, every loss chips away at the cushion.
Sunday’s 24-9 defeat to the Rams dropped the Chargers to 0-7 for the first time since 2000, when Harbaugh was the team’s quarterback. The offense has now gone 27 straight drives without a touchdown, and Justin Herbert leads the league with 10 interceptions. Those numbers have pushed the national conversation into uncomfortable territory, with prominent insiders openly asking whether Harbaugh’s seat is warmer than the organization wants to admit.
For the moment, most of the blame has landed on offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, the offseason hire brought in to help Herbert unlock another level. Harbaugh has kept backing him.
After the sixth loss, he said the staff would “look at everything” and insisted the job he’s doing “starts with me.” He held onto McDaniel through the bye week, and after the loss to the Rams, he confirmed McDaniel would remain the play-caller.
Harbaugh’s message has been consistent: the team understands the problem, and the fix has to come from inside the building.
He has also tried to make clear that he and ownership are aligned, saying he and the Spanos family are “shoulder to shoulder” in this fight. Depending on who’s listening, that can sound like unity or like a coach trying to steady a situation that clearly isn’t steady.
If the losses keep piling up, the blame game will only get louder. McDaniel, Herbert and eventually Harbaugh himself will all remain part of the conversation as the season moves toward the offseason.
In Other News...
Chargers Keep Backing Justin Herbert As Losses Keep Piling Up
Justin Herberts season has become one of the bigger talking points around the league as the Chargers have stumbled to an 0-7 start, but the message from the sideline has stayed steady. Head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel have continued to publicly back their quarterback, even as the team keeps searching for its first win and the losses keep mounting around him.
Herberts play has naturally drawn scrutiny in a season where little has gone right, and the Chargers are still trying to find a way to stabilize things offensively before the situation gets any worse. For now, the organization is standing by him and treating this as a collective problem rather than pinning it on one player, even if the pressure around the quarterback spot only keeps growing with each week. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Face A Quentin Johnston Trade Problem Of Their Own Making
Quentin Johnstons uneven season has put the Chargers in a familiar bind as the trade deadline approaches. The former first-round pick has battled drops and inconsistency, and his role has become one more question hanging over an offense already searching for answers during a disappointing year.
The problem is not just what Johnston has done on the field, but what the Chargers already committed to off it. They picked up his fifth-year option, which makes moving him far more complicated than simply deciding he needs a fresh start, and it leaves the team weighing sunk cost against roster flexibility. With the Chargers record sliding and questions building around the future of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, Johnston has become part of a larger conversation about how long this version of the offense can keep going. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Could Be Getting Two Veteran Reinforcements Back Soon
The Chargers took a meaningful step toward getting two familiar veterans back into the mix, officially designating tight end David Njoku and linebacker Denzel Perryman to return from injured reserve. That move opens their 21-day practice windows, giving the team a chance to evaluate both players before deciding when, or if, they will be activated for game action.
Njoku and Perryman each arrived on one-year deals and had already been part of the Chargers 2025 season before landing on injured reserve, so their return would add experience to two spots that can always use it this time of year. For a team trying to stabilize its roster down the stretch, the timing matters, and the next few weeks will show whether both veterans can get through practice and make it all the way back onto the field. [Read more 🡒]