Chris Gould enters his third season as the assistant special teams coach for the Chargers in 2024. He joined the club following seven years (2015-21) with the Denver Broncos, helping Denver claim victory in Super Bowl 50 in his first NFL season.
Gould assisted a turnaround of the special teams unit in his first two seasons with the Bolts. The group led the NFL by averaging 13.7 yards per punt return over Gould's first two years in Los Angeles. In 2023, the unit averaged 16.0 yards per punt return, setting a single-season franchise record and ranking No. 2 in the NFL. The kicking unit saw kicker Cameron Dicker make 31-of-33 field goals (93.9 pct.) and all 35 extra point attempts, posting a 97.1 total kicking percentage (66-of-68) to rank No. 2 in the NFL.
He helped rookie wide receiver Derius Davis step in as one of the best returners in the NFL. He led all qualified returners in 2023 with a 16.0-yard punt return average and earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after taking one of his punt returns for an 87-yard touchdown on Monday Night Football at the New York Jets. Punter JK Scott was also recognized as AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after he set a career high and single-game franchise record with seven punts placed inside the 20-yard line in the Week 13 victory at New England. Scott's 42.3-yard net punting average in 2023 was a career high and surpassed his mark from 2022 (41.5) as the best in a single season by a Charger in over 20 years.
In 2022, Gould helped coach the group to lead the NFL by allowing just 3.1 yards per punt return, the best average allowed by any Chargers team in 50 years. He also assisted with the AFC's top kicking unit, making 31-of-33 field goals (93.9 pct.) despite deploying three different kickers on the year due to injury. The team's 93.9 field goal percentage ranked No. 2 in the NFL in 2022 and led the AFC.
That year, he helped instruct three specialists win Special Teams Player of the Week — Dicker, Scott and kicker Dustin Hopkins. Dicker was also named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December/January and earned All-Rookie honors from the Professional Football Writers of America after setting the NFL's rookie single-season field goal percentage record among players with 15 attempts by making 21-of-22 field goals (95.5 pct.).
Over his seven seasons helping coach Denver's special teams — two as a coaching assistant (2015-16) and five as assistant special teams (2017-21) — Broncos kicker Brandon McManus ranked fourth in the NFL in made field goals (186) and third in field goals from 50-plus yards (32). McManus also won three AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors (Weeks 4 and 6 in 2020, Week 14 in 2021) and AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October in 2015.
Gould helped develop wide receiver Diontae Spencer as the former CFL All-Star ranked second in the NFL among qualified returners in 2020 with an average of 15.8 yards per punt return. He also worked closely with rookie punter Riley Dixon in 2016, who led all first-year punters with a 41.3-yard net average. The Broncos' coverage unit allowed an average of just 6.8 yards per return in 2016, the seventh-best mark among punt coverage teams in the NFL.
The 11-year coaching veteran broke into the coaching ranks in a special teams quality control role at Syracuse, spending three seasons (2012-14) contributing to the development of the special teams units. He joined the Orange after a three-year (2010-12) career in the Arena Football League. Gould was named Arena League Kicker of the Year after his first season and capped his playing career on a Rattlers team that went on to be ArenaBowl XXV Champions in 2012.
Starting his collegiate career at the University of Virginia (2004-07) as a punter, Gould took over kicking duties for the Cavaliers for his final two seasons. As a sophomore in 2005, his 40.0-yard punt average was the highest mark by a Virginia punter since 2001.
Gould and his wife, Sam, have a son, Asher. The Lock Haven, Pa., native is the younger brother of 18-year veteran kicker Robbie Gould, who ranks No. 8 all-time with 447 made field goals, while his 86.5 career field goal percentage is the best in NFL history among players with at least 450 attempts.
