The Los Angeles Chargers won their last four games of the 2020 season, but it was not enough to save head coach Anthony Lynn.
Los Angeles fired Lynn on Monday and will officially begin its search for a new head coach to take over a strong foundation with Justin Herbert at quarterback.
Herbert himself responded to Lynn's firing, saying he learned quite a bit from his head coach in their time together:
“I really believed in Coach Lynn and I enjoyed our time together,” Herbert said, via Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times.
The former Oregon star added Lynn instilled in him the need to be more communicative with his teammates and assert himself as a leader:
“He forced me to step up and had to be very vocal,” Herbert said, via Gilbert Manzano of the Los Angeles Daily News. “He pushed me every day.”
Herbert was the surprise starter in Week 2 when Tyrod Taylor was ruled out due to a mysterious pregame injury. He was impressive in his NFL debut, nearly leading the Chargers to a win over the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Lynn would not declare Herbert the starter going forward, though it was speculated he did not outright name Herbert the starter in part because Taylor's injury (a punctured lung) was later revealed to have come at the hands of a team doctor.
Herbert would eventually force Lynn's hand, anyway. The No. 6 overall pick finished the season with over 4,300 yards passing, with 31 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
Perhaps Lynn would still be coaching Herbert next season if not for a slew of injuries and a number of second-half letdowns throughout the 2020 campaign.
Instead, Herbert will await the hiring of a new head coach as he begins preparations for his sophomore season.
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