Chargers Bolt to El Segundo

The NFL is coming to Long Beach. Well, kind of.

The Los Angeles Chargers have opened a new team headquarters and training facility about 30 minutes from Long Beach in El Segundo.They relocated from their old stomping grounds in Costa Mesa.

Players and staff are still getting accustomed to the new building and resources. Outside linebacker Joey Bosa has experienced the growing pains coming from the early San Diego days to now in El Segundo.

“It’s unbelievable, I’m still finding my way around. We’ve come a long way from Murphy Canyon in San Diego, (to) Qualcomm and playing in a soccer stadium (Dignity Health Sports Park),” said Bosa.

SoFi Stadium will still be home for the Chargers on game days, except now the commute shrinks to seven miles from the 14-acre training facility.

Alongside the new facility, the team is also welcoming a new coaching staff and are excited to see what a Jim-Harbaugh-led football team looks like this 2024 season.

“The beginning of every year there’s a lot of hope and excitement going into each season and you never know how it's going to play out but when you have a guy like coach Harbaugh that has been there and won at a bunch of places,” said Bosa about his new coach.

“He has a strategy that he knows works, it’s easy to buy-in when you have a guy like that – winning a national championship (and) going to the Super Bowl, wherever he's been, he's been really successful.”

Harbaugh’s success has often come from run-heavy offensive teams, complemented by a strong defensive strategy.

New defensive coordinator Jesse Minter accompanied Harbaugh from the University of Michigan to Los Angeles and believes “there’s nobody better at building a team than Jim Harbaugh.”

 Minter is excited about the added depth to the defensive line to tag along with outside linebackers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.

“The depth in that room will help both of those guys, we’re happy to add Bud (Dupree) and have an ascending young player like Tuli (Tuipulotu). In particular those guys leading from the front,” said Minter.

 In addition to the defensive line, the secondary aims to dominate with their defensive linemen counterparts.

Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. correlates the new energy of the team to the incoming coaching staff and latest training facility.

“Look where we’re at right now, it's beautiful. We got great coaches and players, we just got to put it together and keep working,” said Samuel.

The Chargers are coming from a 5-12 record last season but have high aspirations this year with a coach recently winning a national championship to a new training complex.

“When you think of the NFL, this (training facility) is kind of what you would imagine. It’s great too that everyone makes sure we have the resources that we need. It doesn’t hurt to have all these things and it just boosts morale and makes you excited to pull up to the building every day,” said Bosa.