A.J. Smith has been let go by Dean Spanos, we all know this. Now what?

Well, first up in the process is finding a suitable General Manager replacement. With a new GM in place, then a new Head Coach can be found. So how does the team plan on finding a new General Manager?

For starters, there are 3 Chargers front-office members and an outside consultant spearheading the search process: Dean Spanos (owner and president), John Spanos (Director of College Scouting), Ed McGuire (Assistant GM) and former Packers General Manager Ron Wolf. Ron Wolf will also assist in the Head Coach search.

The Chargers have stated that they will not be releasing the names of potential General Manager candidates. They say it's because some of the candidates will still be employed by other teams that are competing in the playoffs. But, that's not to say we won't still hear in the media who's being interviewed.

The plan is to hire a General Manager first, and then that new GM will help find a new Head Coach. But the group won't be so rigid as to pass up on trying to land a head coach they really want just because they don't have a GM in place.

Yes, the process has begun immediately and the Chargers will make contact with several playoff teams for permission to speak to potential candidates. As soon as we hear, we'll get you the list of potential GM candidates as we hear them.