The New Orleans Saints are on the verge of losing another assistant coach to this year’s hiring cycle. Quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi is the favorite among candidates for the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator job, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
This move would reunite Lombardi with one of his old college quarterbacks — first-year Chargers head coach Brandon Staley. Lombardi coached Staley for a year at Mercyhurst University back in 2005, before Staley graduated and began his own coaching career.
If Lombardi does end up leaving, he’ll be the third Saints assistant to do so this offseason — along with tight ends coach Dan Campbell and secondary coach Aaron Glenn, who were hired as Detroit Lions head coach and defensive coordinator, respectively. Vice president of pro personnel Terry Fontenot was also promoted from the Saints front office to become Atlanta Falcons general manager.
Lombardi has left New Orleans before. The Lions hired him as offensive coordinator in 2014 before firing him midway through the 2015 season, having struggled to adapt his offense to Matthew Stafford’s play style and to the personnel available in Detroit. He’ll be hoping to use what he’s learned from those mistakes to set up Chargers franchise quarterback Justin Herbert for a long, successful NFL career.
