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EL SEGUNDO — Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz acknowledged the obvious during their season-ending session with reporters on Wednesday. They agreed they did not achieve the “ultimate success” in the NFL in their first seasons with the team.
They did achieve plenty of success, though, and that’s more than enough to build on for next season.
Harbaugh took responsibility for the Chargers’ AFC wild-card loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday, as he did immediately after their 32-12 defeat. As he did after the season-ending defeat, he defended the play of quarterback Justin Herbert, who threw a career-high four interceptions.
Harbaugh said the 2024 team was his favorite, as he did after Saturday’s game. He said every player on the roster improved from the start of spring practices through the season-ending game. He said he would like everyone back for the 2025 season, coaches and players alike.
What comes next isn’t exactly clear, but Harbaugh said he and Hortiz were in the process of determining a plan of action for their first full offseason together. After all, Harbaugh was still the coach of the University of Michigan and Hortiz was still working for the Baltimore Ravens at this time last year.
“Build, build, build, better, better, better, 2.0,” Harbaugh said.
As pleasing as the Chargers’ 11-6 record, second-place finish in the AFC West and playoff appearance were this past season, Harbaugh and Hortiz said they weren’t satisfied. As much praise as they heaped upon the 2024 team, calling it “special,” they said improvement was essential for next season.
“You’re constantly chasing improvement,” Hortiz said.
Above, they said they must improve the roster in order to aid Herbert, the single hardest-working person in the organization, they said. That means adding more talented wide receivers, running backs, offensive linemen, tight ends, fullbacks but also players on the defensive side of the ball, too.
Herbert played this past season in his fourth different offense in his five seasons in the NFL, and Harbaugh and Hortiz said they looked forward to stability for their quarterback with the distinct possibility that Greg Roman would return for his second season as offensive coordinator.
“The coaching staff is all coming back to build 2.0,” Harbaugh said.
If anyone were to leave it would likely be defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who directed the league’s stingiest defense, the first time the Chargers had the league’s top defense they were the AFL’s champions in 1963. Hortiz declined to comment about the possibility of losing Minter to another team.
Hortiz said conversations about new contracts for players such as outside linebackers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, left tackle Rashawn Slater and center Bradley Bozeman have started or would start in the coming days. Mack, in particular, would be welcomed back with open arms.
“I love Khalil,” Hortiz said of Mack, who was picked to participate in the Pro Bowl for the ninth time in his 11-year NFL career and third in a row after the Chargers acquired him for the Chicago Bears before the 2022 season. “We want them all back. These guys are special, and Khalil is right at the forefront.”
Said Harbaugh when asked about Mack and several other potential unrestricted free agents, who are free to negotiate with other teams when the free-agent window opens in March, “I don’t know if it’s possible to get everybody back, but I want to get as close as possible, and nobody more so than Khalil.”
Mack, who turns 34 next month, said Sunday he would spend some time thinking about his future.
“There’s a lot of different thoughts in my head right now,” Mack said. “I can’t really speak on a definitive decision in terms of what I’m going to do because I don’t know if I’m going to play football moving forward, so there’s some things I got to talk through with my wife, spend some time with my kids and try not to make a rash decision after a loss (Saturday to the Texans).”
In addition to free agency, Harbaugh and Hortiz said they would busy themselves in preparation for the NFL draft in April. The upcoming Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine will give the Chargers additional opportunities to scout college players in advance of the April 24-26 draft.
In addition, Harbaugh, 61, said he has scheduled two medical procedures of his own for the offseason. He said he would undergo a cardiac ablation after experiencing an irregular heartbeat before the Chargers’ game against the Denver Broncos on Oct. 13. He also said he would have hip replacement surgery.
Originally Published:
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