In a 10-year span from 2006 to 2015, either the Broncos and Chargers won the AFC West nine times. The Chargers won from 2006 to 2009; and the Broncos won it from 2011 to 2015, along with two Super Bowl trips and one win.
Now, the two franchises are once again spinning their wheels in terms of potentially lost seasons. The Chargers, who have made the playoffs twice and are undefeated in the last 10 years, are looking for their fifth head coach since 2013, including current interim Giff Smith after firing Brandon Staley earlier this month.
Sean Payton, who is nearing the end of his first season as Broncos coach, opted to start Russell Wilson to become the fourth straight Broncos coach to miss the playoffs. Denver’s postseason drought would last eight years and another offseason, and the question of what the team will do behind center revolves around it.
Sean Payton, approaching his first season as Broncos coach, decided to start Russell Wilson to become the fourth straight Broncos coach to miss the playoffs. Denver’s postseason drought would last eight years and another offseason, and the question of what the team would do behind center revolved around it.
Chargers: The Spanos family has owned the Chargers since 1984, when Alex Spanos purchased the team. When Alex died in 2018, his son Dean took over the reins. John Spanos, Dean and#039; son, manages the team and its day-to-day operations as team manager. The franchise played its only Super Bowl game in 1995, losing to the San Francisco 49ers 49–26. Since then, the Chargers have become synonymous with mediocrity; the team only played in two AFC championships in the Spanos era. Ownership also has a reputation for not wanting to spend big on coaches and give players the best contracts.
Broncos: When Rob Walton, along with Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner, led the group that bought the Broncos for $4.65 billion in August 2022, it changed the financial hierarchy of the NFL. Walmart heir Walton has an estimated net worth of $60 billion, according to Forbes. The Broncosand#039; The ownership group has an estimated personal net worth greater than the next five NFL owners combined. That means it’s always more about the quality of the Broncos’ decisions than the ability to pay for them. There’s also the lingering question of how much day-to-day general manager Greg Penner will be involved in football decision-making going forward, especially as Payton builds a senior roster against the salary cap.
