Chip Kelly is heading back to the NFL, this time as an offensive coordinator.
Kelly is leaving his job as Ohio State offensive coordinator to take the same job with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel of ESPN. This will be Kelly’s first offensive coordinator job at the NFL level.
Back to the NFL: Former Eagles HC Chip Kelly is being hired as the Raiders offensive coordinator, per me and @PeteThamel.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 2, 2025
Kelly’s decision to return to the NFL is not necessarily shocking, but the landing spot is. There had been no reports linking Kelly to the Raiders, as he had instead been rumored to be of interest to two other teams. New Raiders head coach Pete Carroll was clearly looking for an impact hire and got one. In light of how much he was making at Ohio State, Kelly probably did not come cheap, either.
This will be Kelly’s third job in as many years. He stepped down as UCLA head coach last offseason to take the Ohio State job, and won plaudits for his work there as the Buckeyes won a national title. His NFL experience amounts to a pair of head coaching stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. He inherits a team that is very much a blank slate on offense with a great deal of uncertainty at the quarterback position, though they have been linked to one Pro Bowl option.
Ohio State now has a lot of work to do on the coaching front. They already lost their defensive coordinator to a conference rival, and will now have to replace Kelly as well.
