Turns out that retreating from head coach to offensive coordinator wasn\u2019t a great fit for Chip Kelly. At least not in the NFL.<\/p>\n
The Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday fired the former UCLA coach moments after they were defeated by the Cleveland Browns, 24-10, falling to a 2-9 record. Kelly\u2019s stint as offensive coordinator was an abject failure: Among 32 NFL teams, Las Vegas is tied for last at 15.0 points per game and is 30th with 268.9 in total yards per game.<\/p>\n
Kelly bolted from UCLA<\/a> in 2023 after six overwhelmingly mediocre seasons as head coach to become offensive coordinator at Ohio State, which won the NCAA national championship in 2024. <\/p>\n Another opportunity arose immediately thereafter when Pete Carroll <\/a>became the Raiders\u2019 head coach and invited Kelly to run the offense. <\/p>\n Although Kelly\u2019s NFL experience was limited to failed head coaching stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, he jumped at the opportunity, saying on a podcast that \u201cthe one thing about the NFL that I love is it\u2019s the ultimate level of competition. It\u2019s football at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n Carroll, who is struggling to find traction with the Raiders at age 74 after a decorated career as coach of the Seattle Seahawks and USC<\/a>, swiftly learned that Kelly wasn\u2019t up to the task despite being paid $6 million this season, double any other offensive coordinator in the NFL.<\/p>\n \u201cI spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release as offensive coordinator of the Raiders,\u201d Carroll said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cI would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Carroll became enamored by Kelly\u2019s ability to put points on the scoreboard 16 years ago. USC was handed its worst loss in Carroll\u2019s nine-year tenure<\/a> when Oregon \u2014 coached by Kelly \u2014 pounded the Trojans, 47-20.<\/p>\n If Carroll wondered if he\u2019d ever get payback, it came Sunday. But the dismal state of the Raiders falls on him as head coach. <\/p>\n \u201cI am grateful for the opportunity with the Raiders, bottom line in this league you have to win,\u201d Kelly told NFL reporter Jay Glazer.<\/a> \u201cI really loved those players, But hey, we gotta win. I get it.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult to see where Kelly will turn next. A return to the college ranks as a head coach seems a stretch. His abrupt departure from UCLA in February of 2024 put the Bruins in a difficult position. Most high school recruits had been signed and top transfers gone.<\/p>\n