Former NFL head coach to join Chargers staff after five-year absence

After a five-year absence, Adam Gase is back in the NFL.

The former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins head coach is joining the Los Angeles Chargers’ staff as an offensive assistant, according to multiple reports Feb. 9. It was not immediately clear what position he would hold.

Gase, 47, had not held a known coaching position since being dismissed by the Jets after the 2020 season, when he posted a 2-14 record in his second year at the helm.

Gase first rose to prominence as the Denver Broncos’ offensive coordinator during Peyton Manning’s record-breaking 2013 season, during which the quarterback set single-season highs of 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns. His head-coaching run would be far more tumultuous, however, as he posted a career record of 32-48 across five years.

Gase is the latest notable addition for a Chargers team that underwent a significant offseason shift with offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s firing and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter being hired as the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach.

The Bolts brought aboard former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who was in the mix for multiple head-coaching openings before taking on the play-calling role on Jim Harbaugh’s staff as offensive coordinator. Los Angeles also settled on Western Michigan defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary as Minter’s replacement.