Former Chargers DC John Pagano Hired by Raiders

On Monday, former San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano signed up to be the Raiders’ new Assistant Head Coach - Defense. Pagano had been with the Chargers for a decade and a half and had spent the last five years as the team’s defensive coordinator.

As those familiar with the team will know, Pagano worked his way up from a defensive quality control role through linebacker coaching roles and was eventually promoted to DC. The team thought so highly of Pagano that they insisted on retaining him even when they fired Norv Turner and hired his replacement in Mike McCoy.

Pagano’s defenses were below average during his first four seasons as DC, ranking 18th, 32nd, 25th, and 28th in DVOA. However, in his final season with the team, Pagano oversaw a defense that was well above average and ranked 8th in DVOA (what a difference a Joey Bosa makes).

It will be interesting to see what Pagano’s role is with the Raiders since they have also retained Ken Norton Jr. as defensive coordinator. Chargers fans can only hope that he’s there to advise them on how to handle the two-minute drill.