Chip Kelly may be making a comeback to the NFL as an offensive coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks, one of several teams interested in hiring him, after serving as head coach at UCLA for the previous six seasons.
Kelly is scheduled to interview on Tuesday night for the position of offensive coordinator in Seattle, according to Benjamin Solak of the Ringer. Before Kliff Kingsbury was finally hired by new coach Dan Quinn, he was reportedly linked to the Washington Commanders and had conducted two interviews with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Kelly, who was once thought to be among the most creative offensive minds in the game, guided Oregon to the top three spots in scoring offence in three of his four seasons in charge. The Eagles hired Kelly as head coach in 2012 as a result of his success. With a top-five scoring offence and a potent rushing attack, Philadelphia won 10 games in his first season with the team and advanced to the postseason as a wild card.
Despite playing three different quarterbacks, Kelly’s offence proved effective, as the Eagles finished in the top five in points scored in 2013 and in a respectable 13th place overall in 2014, even though they would not qualify for the playoffs again under his leadership. He had a difficult year with the 49ers, going 2-14 with a trainwreck roster, after being fired late in the 2014 season. Before being fired again, he was let go.
Kelly needed a few years to turn things around at Westwood after returning to the collegiate ranks at UCLA, where the Bruins placed 80th or lower in scoring offence in his first two seasons. They improved to 20th in scoring offence in a COVID-shortened 2020 season, though, once he began to bring in his own players and had time to develop those players.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a dual-threat quarterback, and a plethora of excellent skill players surrounding him allowed UCLA to finish 13th and eighth in scoring offence in 2021 and 2022, respectively, while Kelly made a comeback as one of the best offensive play callers in the league. While offensively, last season wasn’t nearly as successful, a lot of that boiled down to
Kelly, who is still under contract with the Bruins, hasn’t kept quiet about his problems with college football as realignment destroys rivalries and the transfer portal makes it very hard to assemble and maintain a team. Several college head coaches have already left for the NFL this offseason as a result of these changes and the NCAA’s lax oversight; former Boston College coach Jeff Hafley left to take the position of defensive coordinator for the Packers last month.
Kelly could be an exciting fit for the Seahawks because of his creative ideas and previous experience coaching winning programmes at the NFL and college level. Kelly was rumoured as a possible candidate before the team named a head coach, with Macdonald favouring “open-minded” play callers who can connect with players.
Kelly is the third confirmed interviewee for Seattle’s offensive coordinator position, following former Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Kelly’s interview is scheduled for this evening. It will be the only offensive coordinator position available in the league if New Orleans hires Klint Kubiak for the same position following the Super Bowl, assuming that a hiring decision is not made before then.
