San Diego — Marty Schottenheimer could have kicked back for the next three years, playing golf and collecting $7.5 million from the Washington Redskins for doing nothing.
Instead, he accepted the challenge of coaching the San Diego Chargers, who over the last six seasons have been one of the NFL's worst teams.
Schottenheimer, a former division rival, signed a four-year, $10 million contract Tuesday. He can make an additional $7 million in incentives. Some of the salary will be picked up by the Redskins, who fired Schottenheimer on Jan. 13 with three years left on his contract.
The Chargers have missed the playoffs six straight seasons, the second-longest drought in the NFL.
"My ambition is to coach a championship football team and we haven't done that yet," Schottenheimer said after being introduced at a news conference. "That remains my sole objective."
Schottenheimer's regular-season record with Cleveland, Kansas City and Washington is 153-93-1, and his .619 winning percentage is tied for second among active NFL head coaches with at least three seasons. He was 104-65-1 from 1989-98 with the AFC West rival Chiefs.
Schottenheimer didn't duck his postseason record.
"It's reality. It is what it is. I wish it were better; it's not. Somebody once said, "The truth freezes all.' So I recognized that it's not very good, certainly not what we'd like."
The Chargers have made the playoffs just three times in the 18 seasons they've been owned by Alex Spanos, all coming under Ross.
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