On Monday afternoon, the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport announced the weirdest move of the offseason so far, and one that happened in the AFC West that the Kansas City Chiefs should be thrilled about.
"After a five-year hiatus, Adam Gase returns to coaching in the NFL, joining the Chargers as an assistant focusing on the passing game, sources say," Rapoport reported. "The former Jets and Dolphins coach rose in the ranks as a record-setting offensive mind. Now back to his roots in L.A."
The Los Angeles Chargers are not bringing in Gase to supersede offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. With that said, it's unclear why they feel Gase is someone who can contribute to an offense after flaming out so famously in his last two stops.
Gase was considered a "headcase" for the handling of his relationship with Sam Darnold during their time with the New York Jets. Per ESPN's Rich Cimini, Gase "was so obsessed with coaching Darnold that he only paid attention to the offense, letting Gregg Williams be the 'head coach' of the defense."
That certainly doesn't seem like someone the Chargers should want on their staff. Yet, the Chiefs won't feel bad for their AFC West rival's head-scratching decision. In fact, they'll likely celebrate it.
Chargers' Adam Gase Hire Is Great News for Chiefs
As disastrous as his time with the Jets was, Gase's lackluster track record doesn't end there.
Before botching Darnold's development in East Rutherford, NJ, Gase was mismanaging the Miami Dolphins. Regarding the 2018 season, his last in Miami Gardens, per The Associated Press, "(The Dolphins) were outgained by 1,619 yards, worst in franchise history, and outscored by 114 points. They ranked 31st in the NFL in offense, also a franchise worst, and 29th in defense, allowing a franchise-record 6,257 yards."
Gase's offenses have been underperforming for quite some time. Hired as a way to get the most out of Justin Herbert, Jim Harbaugh and Co. are hoping Gase can be the QB whisperer he was with Peyton Manning on the 2011 and 2012 Denver Broncos.
Does he still have that juice in 2026? It's unclear here on the day of his hiring, but the Kingdom must be ecstatic that the Bolts are going to dig for that answer.
The Chargers are out here making strange moves this offseason, bringing in a boom-or-bust assistant Gase. It's an even more bizarre decision since Los Angeles already has McDaniel, who's proven he doesn't need help to facilitate a top-10 offense in the NFL.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have been making smart hires, such as bringing back Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator and hiring wide receivers coach Chad O'Shea, who was with the Cleveland Browns for six seasons.
Perhaps Los Angeles was never meant to be a long-term replacement for Kansas City at the top of the AFC West standings. While the Denver Broncos may be a long-term potential challenger, the Chargers feel too collectively dysfunctional to continue making their case in 2026.
It'll be interesting to see if the Chargers' unique approach will pay off. The Chiefs shouldn't be worried, though, as their early-offseason moves have already positioned them to be a bigger threat in 2026 than they were last season.