Chip Kelly understands the challenge ahead of him, but as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, he is excited about joining an AFC West filled with top-tier head coaches and quarterbacks.
“I heard that from some people, do you really want to go in that division?” Kelly said during a Zoom call on Wednesday.
“But I think if you’re a competitor, you do. And if you have a chance to win that division, then that means you beat the best, and the best that’s playing in football right now is the Chiefs.”
Kansas City, led by coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, is aiming for a third straight Super Bowl title when it plays the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in New Orleans.
The division also features coach-quarterback combinations like Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert with the Los Angeles Chargers, and Sean Payton and Bo Nix with the Denver Broncos.
All three teams made the playoffs last season, while Las Vegas finished with a 4-13 record and changed coaches, moving from Antonio Pierce to Pete Carroll. With Carroll’s arrival, every head coach in the division has appeared in the Super Bowl, though only Harbaugh has not won one yet.
Kelly mentioned that working with Carroll played a big role in his decision to take the job, and he had productive talks with owner Mark Davis, general manager John Spytek, and minority owner Tom Brady.
“The tradition of this program speaks for itself,” Kelly said. “To the catch phrases that I think everybody uses in everyday life, ’Just win, baby.’”
Kelly was the offensive coordinator for Ohio State’s national championship team last season after previously being the head coach at Oregon and UCLA, as well as the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.
In hiring Kelly, the Raiders hope to revive an offense that was one of the worst in the league last season, ranking fourth-worst with 303.2 yards per game and last in rushing with an average of 79.8 yards.
Addressing the quarterback position is a top priority, but Kelly says he is still getting to know the team and figuring out what players will be available through the draft or free agency. Las Vegas holds the No. 6 pick in the upcoming draft.
“So I think it’s really your evaluation of the personnel that’s available to you and then fitting them into that system,” Kelly said.
Kelly earned a reputation as an innovative offensive coach while at Oregon, first as offensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008, then as head coach for the following four seasons. He posted a 46-7 record, including an appearance in the Bowl Championship Series national championship game in the 2010 season, and finished in the top four of the AP poll in his last three years.
He then moved to Philadelphia, where he coached for three seasons, with a 10-6 record in each of his first two years. After a 6-9 record in 2015, he was let go. The 49ers hired Kelly, but he was fired after one season with a 2-14 record.
Kelly returned to college football in 2018 with UCLA but struggled early on, with losing records in his first three seasons. However, the Bruins went 25-13 in his last three years.
After the 2023 season, Kelly left UCLA to join Ohio State as their offensive coordinator. Under his guidance, the Buckeyes dominated the College Football Playoff, scoring 83 points in the first two rounds before beating Texas 28-14 in the semifinals and Notre Dame 34-23 in the championship game.
