Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman recalls moment he knew Chargers would dismiss Brandon Staley

Former NFL star Shawne Merriman talks to OutKick's Dan Dakich about the Los Angeles Chargers and Brandon Staley.

Former NFL star pass-rusher Shawne Merriman pinpointed the moment when he knew the Los Angeles Chargers would fire head coach Brandon Staley earlier this year and it was before the blowout loss against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Merriman appeared on OutKick’s "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" and broke down Staley’s tenure with the Chargers. Staley was 24-24 in just over two seasons as the Chargers head coach. He led the team to one playoff appearance but couldn’t get the 2023 season turned around.

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Head coach Brandon Staley of the Los Angeles Chargers looks on before playing against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 14, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

He told Dakich he knew the Chargers hired him because he was a "good interviewer" and his talks with him made him want to "run through a wall." But as Staley clashed with the media this season, Merriman knew his time was coming to an end.

"I don’t fault the Chargers at all for hiring Brandon Staley because he’s a great interviewer," he said. "What I do say that I fault anybody for is hanging on with him too long and seeing if he was gonna turn around when he showed no path of change. He even got to the point where toward the end of his coaching there he was firing back off at the media for asking very normal questions … when I saw he couldn’t handle himself in the media when shots were being thrown at him, I knew he wasn’t the guy for the job.

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Shawne Merriman attends the "Players