‘Competing visions’ reason for Jerry Tillery cut, coach says

COSTA MESA, Calif. – On Friday, a day after the Los Angeles Chargers unceremoniously cut former first-round pick Jerry Tillery, Bolts coach Brandon Staley said it had grown increasingly apparent that the team and the defensive lineman were no longer compatible.

“There’s a point in relationships like this where you’ve got to move on and it’s best for both people to move on,” Staley said.

The Chargers are 5-3 and on pace to earn a playoff berth for the first time since 2018 as they prepare to play the 4-4 San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

“It’s unfortunate,” All-Pro edge Khalil Mack said of Tillery’s release. “It’s something that I really don’t think I’ve been a part of that in the NFL, in the sense of the middle of the season, cut. It’s a weird situation … but at the same time he’s a talented player so whatever he chooses to do, he’s going to be able to ball out and do his thing.”

Quarterback Justin Herbert called it an “unfortunate circumstance.”

“He and I were good friends,” Herbert said. “But that’s a Coach Staley decision. Those guys in the front office make that decision.”

The No. 28 overall pick in 2019, the Chargers declined over the offseason to pick up the fifth-year option on Tillery’s rookie contract.

He appeared this season in seven games, but did not start. He recorded a sack and forced fumble.

Multiple teams made offers for Tillery, 26, ahead of the trade deadline on Nov. 1, but none that intrigued the Chargers enough to entertain due to their hope that Tillery would provide needed reinforcement on the defensive line down the stretch.

However, over the past week, philosophical differences with the coaching staff and front office came to a head and Tillery’s friction with other players grew. The situation ultimately began to affect multiple areas of the…