He temporarily lost his starting position after his play was described as "extremely jittery" by the local San Rafael Daily Independent Journal,[9] but an end of season report from the same paper stated that he should improve with better protection.

[49] He set 19 Oregon records, including career passing yardage (5,995) and total offense (5,871),[50][51] and he was inducted into the university's hall of fame as part of the inaugural 1992 class.

[71][72] Speaking in 1985, Fouts described the 1973 Chargers as a team in "turmoil, total disarray", and criticized the coaches for not letting him work with Unitas and benefit from his knowledge.

[75] New head coach Tommy Prothro singled out Fouts as giving the only good performance during a preseason loss,[76] and he began the regular season as the starter.

[103] His performances worsened as the season went on, and fans were calling for backup Clint Longley to have more playing time entering the week 10 game with the Denver Broncos.

[70][109] San Diego sports journalist Jack Murphy described 1976 as a year of "much growth" for Fouts, and the departing Walsh predicted that he would have a fine career in the league.

[110] San Diego acquired quarterback James Harris from the Los Angeles Rams during the off-season, with head coach Tommy Prothro stating that he wanted depth at the injury-prone position.

"[112] Fouts refused to report to training camp in July and was placed on the reserve list by the Chargers the following month;[117][118] Harris became the new starting quarterback.

[125] Chargers player representative Pat Curran stated that the team welcomed Fouts back, suggesting that his criticisms of Prothro and the quality of his teammates were a "smoke-screen" to support his attempt to become a free agent.

[132] He sustained a jammed thumb early in the 1978 season and did not start in week 4 against the Green Bay Packers, instead coming off the bench and throwing two of the Chargers' five interceptions in a 24–3 defeat.

[148][149] A later Chicago Tribune article noted the last three games of 1978 as the start of the "unprecedented passing attack" known as Air Coryell, which Fouts led for several years without further injuries.

[178] The Chargers trailed 14–13 with a little over two minutes to play, facing a 3rd and 10 at midfield; Fouts threw to little-used wide receiver Ron Smith for what would prove to be the game-winning touchdown.

[184] He had to overcome the loss of one of his leading receivers, as Jefferson was traded after holding out for more money;[185] San Diego brought in Wes Chandler from the New Orleans Saints as a replacement and their offense continued to statistically dominate the league.

[190] Entering the final week of the regular season, San Diego needed another win over Oakland and a Denver loss to make the playoffs as division champions.

[194] Klein did not suspend Fouts as requested and he claimed that NFLPA executive director Ed Garvey was making a grandstanding move before the Chargers' potentially crucial final game, accusing him of vindictiveness and incompetence.

[192] Garvey said that Klein's failure to penalize Fouts could lead the NFLPA to seek a legal termination of the CBA, which would leave the players free to strike at any time.

[194] With the matter temporarily settled, Fouts played against Oakland; the Chargers won the game and clinched the division as Denver had lost the previous day.

[205] Fouts threw a game-tying touchdown pass with 58 seconds to play, then set up Rolf Benirschke's winning field goal with a 39-yard completion to Joiner in overtime.

[246] Fouts eventually did sign on June 29, saying that he had considered joining a proposed San Diego–based USFL franchise but returned to the Chargers because he wanted to win a Super Bowl.

[248] Slusher reported that the six-year contract could potentially pay upward of $1 million per year, making it one of the most lucrative in pro football history up to that point.

[269] He threw another touchdown on the Chargers' first possession of their week 4 game with the Cleveland Browns, but sustained knee ligament damage after hits on consecutive plays of their second series.

[97] Raiders cornerback Lester Hayes remarked that the Charger offense was "not the Dan Fouts show anymore," and that running back Gary Anderson was now the key player.

[287] San Diego's new head coach Al Saunders preferred a more conservative style of offense, with more emphasis on Anderson and less on the 36-year-old Fouts attempting to throw long balls.

[97] He posted his sixth 3,000-yard season, breaking an NFL record that he had shared with Sonny Jurgensen,[289] and overtook Unitas for second place on the career passing yardage list.

[293] He claimed that Spanos had "a PR campaign underway to set the stage for a trade",[294] questioned the plausibility of him having refused a large pay rise and told the media that he intended to play for his contracted amount.

[300] Fouts threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns in his first game back, and San Diego beat the Kansas City Chiefs 42–21; he credited the team's practice regime during the strike for their quick start after it.

[330] Fouts considered strong line play to be another important factor in San Diego's offense and would buy his linemen dinner if they kept him from being sacked during a game.

[346] In 1997, Fouts returned to network television as an analyst, this time working college football games for ABC Sports alongside play-by-play man Brent Musburger.

[345] In 2000, Fouts moved into a commentary role on ABC's Monday Night Football, alongside anchor Al Michaels and comedian Dennis Miller.

[350] It was reported in USA Today later that year that Fouts was returning to CBS for NFL games, where he would work with a variety of play-by-play announcers including Don Criqui, Bill Macatee, and Dick Enberg.