Anthony Lynn, Chargers Reportedly Agree on New Contract Despite Firing Rumors

The Los Angeles Chargers have given head coach Anthony Lynn a strong vote of confidence coming off a difficult 2019 season.  

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Chargers extended Lynn's deal in the past week that adds "multiple years" to his contract. 

Prior to signing his extension, Lynn had just one year remaining on the initial four-year deal he signed with the Chargers. 

Lynn had immediate success in Los Angeles upon being hired in January 2017. Even though the Chargers missed the playoffs in his first year, their nine wins matched their combined total from the previous two seasons under Mike McCoy.

Last year looked like a breakthrough moment for the Chargers in the AFC. They finished 12-4, their best record since 2009, were runners-up in the AFC West and advanced to the divisional round before losing to the New England Patriots. 

Things took a sharp turn for the worse in 2019 due to a rash of injuries to key players. Safety Derwin James, offensive tackle Russell Okung, tight end Hunter Henry and cornerback Trevor Williams, who was later waived off injured reserve, missed time at the start of the year. Running back Melvin Gordon III missed the first four games due to a contract holdout. 

The one constant for the L.A. offense over the past 14 seasons prior to 2019 had been Philip Rivers. He had a difficult year with 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

Things got so bad for Rivers at one point that NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Lynn was considering replacing him with Tyrod Taylor. The last time Rivers didn't start for the Chargers was Drew Brees' final game with the franchise in December 2005, a streak of 224 games. 

Speculation about Rivers' future with the Chargers has been running rampant since the season ended. Fox Sports' Jay Glazer (h/t Allan Bell of CBS Sports) reported the team has "moved on" from Rivers. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later reported the Chargers were exploring their options with Rivers, including possibly giving him the franchise tag. 

Per ESPN's Schefter and Chris Mortensen, Rivers has permanently moved his family from San Diego to Florida. 

"What this means football-wise is to be determined but it was time for us to move back closer to home," Rivers told Schefter and Mortensen in a text message. 

Even though things didn't work out for the Chargers in 2019, it's hard to fault Lynn or the coaching staff for a roster that was depleted right out of the gate. Los Angeles' defense ranked among the top 10 in points allowed in each of his first two seasons before falling to 14th in 2019. 

Lynn, whose background is mainly on offense as a running backs coach, took a Chargers roster that had a strong foundation but had struggled to put all the pieces together for success. The Texas native made them into one of the best teams in the AFC during the 2018 season. 

Since most of the pieces from that squad remain in place, and a lot of key players who missed significant time in 2019 will be back, there's reason to believe Lynn can orchestrate a quick turnaround in an AFC West.