Mike McCoy Fired by Chargers: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The San Diego Chargers fired head coach Mike McCoy after finishing 5-11 in 2016, Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com reported Sunday.

"The decision to dismiss Mike was made in the best interests of our franchise," Chargers president of football operations John Spanos said in a statement. "Our team's disappointing performance has not matched this team's potential and has fallen short of the demanding standards that we seek to impose throughout our organization."

This was McCoy's fourth year with the franchise, a tenure that started off with back-to-back winning seasons in 2013 and 2014. The Chargers went to the playoffs in his first year, beating the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round.

The former Broncos offensive coordinator and Carolina Panthers quarterbacks coach also helped Philip Rivers reach the Pro Bowl in 2013 while leading one of the top passing attacks in the NFL.

Things went south from there, however, with injuries and other factors contributing to a 4-12 season in 2015.

With injuries again piling up in 2016—Keenan Allen, Jason Verrett, Danny Woodhead and Manti Te'o all went on injured reserve within the first few weeks of the season—the Chargers again struggled.

The losses were frustrating for players and fans alike, as nine of the 11 defeats were decided by a single possession. The most embarrassing one came in Week 16 against the previously 0-14 Cleveland Browns.

Will Brinson of CBS Sports summed up the year for McCoy:

While he lasted until the end of the season, the organization eventually decided to make a change.

The Chargers job could be one of the league's most sought-after positions during the offseason. They have an established quarterback in Rivers as well as young impact players such as Melvin Gordon (23), Verrett (25) and Joey Bosa (21). The narrow losses also suggest the team may not be far from contention.

Meanwhile, the 44-year-old McCoy shouldn't be out of a job for long. He helped lead one of the NFL's top offenses as a coordinator in Denver before taking the head coaching job in San Diego, so he should at least get another chance to run an offense in the future.