Chip Kelly is making his return to the NFL as the Las Vegas Raiders’ new offensive coordinator, according to a source familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity, as the team has not yet officially announced the hire.
Kelly had been the offensive coordinator for Ohio State’s national championship team this past season. He’s also had head coaching stints at Oregon, UCLA, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the San Francisco 49ers.
This is the second major move made by the Raiders’ new coach, Pete Carroll, who last week decided to keep defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
With Kelly now on board, the Raiders are hoping to revitalize an offense that struggled last season, ranking fourth from the bottom in the league with just 303.2 yards per game and dead last in rushing, averaging only 79.8 yards per game.
One of Kelly’s key tasks will be finding a quarterback who can compete in the AFC West, where star quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix are all leading their teams to playoff appearances. Mahomes, in particular, is aiming for his third consecutive Super Bowl appearance with the Kansas City Chiefs.
But the Raiders’ offensive issues go beyond just the quarterback. They failed to replace running back Josh Jacobs, who signed with the Green Bay Packers. They also lost top wide receiver Davante Adams, who was traded to the New York Jets during the season.
Despite these challenges, there are some bright spots. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers had a standout season, Jakobi Meyers posted his first 1,000-yard receiving season, and offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze showed promise as rookies, along with tackle Kolton Miller.
Kelly built his reputation as an innovative offensive coach during his time at Oregon, first as offensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008, then as head coach from 2009 to 2012. Under his leadership, Oregon went 46-7, made it to the national championship game in 2010. The Ducks’ high-tempo offense, which wore down opposing defenses, was a key feature of Kelly’s success.
Kelly’s next step was with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he had a strong start, going 10-6 in his first two seasons. However, after a 6-9 record in 2015, he was let go. The San Francisco 49ers hired him for the 2016 season, but he lasted only one year with a 2-14 record.
Kelly returned to college football in 2018 as head coach at UCLA, where his early years were marked by losing records. But he turned things around in his last three seasons, finishing with a 25-13 record. After the 2023 season, Kelly left UCLA to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator.
There, he helped the Buckeyes dominate in the College Football Playoff, scoring 83 points in the first two rounds before defeating Texas 28-14 in the semifinals and Notre Dame 34-23 in the championship game.
