According to multiple reports from national media members, and corroborating our earlier reporting, Chip Kelly has been in the mix, or will be in the mix, for open offensive coordinator jobs at the NFL level.
According to a report from Ian Rapoport from the NFL Network, Kelly interviewed at least twice for the open offensive coordinator job with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Head coach Antonio Pierce opted for Kliff Kingsbury instead.
The #Raiders interviewed #UCLA coach Chip Kelly at least twice for their vacant OC job under Antonio Pierce, sources say. Kelly appeared open to a return to the NFL… but Pierce ultimate chose Kliff Kingsbury.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2024
In addition to the Raiders, Kelly’s name has also been linked to the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator position by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
This corroborates our earlier reporting that Kelly was tied in with Dan Quinn‘s candidacy as a head coach.
What we’ve heard is that Washington might be a harder job to sell for Kelly than Seattle would have been.
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is a potential candidate for #Commanders OC under new head coach Dan Quinn, per sources. Kelly, a two-time NFL head coach, is believed to have interest in returning to the league and Washington will consider talking with him.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 2, 2024
We first heard about Kelly’s potential interest in a return to an NFL role in December, and there has been buzz in agency circles for a while that Kelly’s intention was to find a good fit to make his return to the NFL, even taking a psuedo-demotion by moving from a head coach position at UCLA to a coordinator role.
While his offense sputtered to some extent this year, Kelly is still considered a very good offensive mind, and teams need look no further than what he did in 2022 with a full complement of experienced players.
Through six years at UCLA, Kelly is 35-34 after finishing the 2023 campaign at 8-5. He’s had three straight winning seasons after really struggling to begin his tenure.
