SAN DIEGO -- After a day spent in their new city introducing themselves to new business partners, the Chargers made their first big decision.
The Chargers have agreed to a four-year contract with former Buffalo Bills interim head coach Anthony Lynn to be their next head coach, a team source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Lynn will be the franchise's 16th head coach and first African-American head coach.
The 48-year-old Lynn was one of six candidates interviewed by the Chargers. The others included Sean McDermott, who was hired as the Bills' head coach, New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith, Kansas City Chiefs special-teams coordinator Dave Toub and Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
Chargers director of football operations John Spanos kept the team's staff of assistants on hold after firing Mike McCoy nearly two weeks ago. And it's said the Chargers would like to keep offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt to maintain continuity for quarterback Philip Rivers.
Lynn also interviewed for the Los Angeles Rams' and Bills' head-coaching vacancies. He was elevated from running backs coach to offensive coordinator in Buffalo two games into the 2016 season when then-head coach Rex Ryan fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Lynn then took over for Ryan for the final game of the season after Bills owner Terry Pegula fired Ryan.
A Texas native, Lynn played running back at Texas Tech and spent six seasons in the NFL, including stops with the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers. Lynn mostly has experience as a running backs coach in the league, including stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets before landing in Buffalo.