Four days after hiring a defensive coordinator, the Las Vegas Raiders are continuing to fill their coaching vacancies. The team is adding Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly as their OC on Sunday, according to a team source.
In his lone season with the Buckeyes, Kelly helped lead them to 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship. Now, he’s teaming up with head coach Pete Carroll in the NFL.
Kelly was a finalist for the Raiders OC job last year after Kliff Kingsbury withdrew from the opening, but team sources said Kelly wanted to bring too many staffers with him from UCLA for Antonio Pierce’s liking. The Raiders also interviewed former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson for the position, according to the source.
Kelly, 61, coached the Philadelphia Eagles for three seasons and San Francisco 49ers for one season and will look to help revamp the offense in Las Vegas.
Is Kelly’s departure from Ohio State a surprise?
Kelly’s departure for the NFL shouldn’t come as a major surprise to those in Columbus. He joined Ohio State’s staff last offseason after flirting with the NFL, but never locking down a job. Now, after helping lead Ohio State to a national championship he is joining the Raiders.
Ohio State’s offense wasn’t perfect this season. It struggled with injuries along the offensive line and looked lost in a few big games, especially the Michigan loss, which was one of Kelly’s most confusing game plans of the season. But the Buckeyes were dominant in the postseason, mixing Kelly’s prowess in the run game and Ryan Day’s passing attack as Will Howard’s was given the reigns to spread the ball out to their plethora of playmakers.
One thing Kelly did show this year was the ability to adjust as a coordinator. Instead of the tempo he’s been known for in the college ranks, Ohio State made the conscious decision to huddle more with Howard at quarterback. Ohio State wanted to use his experience in the huddle to its advantage and it ended up paying off for the Buckeyes as they were much more efficient this season than last.
Ohio State scored 145 points on its playoff run and finished the season 28th in total offense, an improvement from last year’s 48th national mark.
Ryan Day, fresh off the title run, will now have to hire three coaches to refill his staff next year: an offensive line coach, defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator. He’ll be hard pressed to find a play caller he trusts as much as Kelly, but that’s the next task, if Day wants to refrain from calling plays for a second straight season. — Cameron Teague Robinson, Ohio State staff writer
Kelly’s NFL history
Kelly is best known for his success in the college ranks. He was the Oregon head coach from 2009 to 2012 and held the same role at UCLA from 2018 to 2023. While Kelly has coached in the NFL before, it didn’t go well. He was fired after a three-year run as the Eagles’ head coach from 2013 to 15 and was fired again after a disastrous season as the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach in 2016.
The Raiders are hopeful that the third time’s the charm when it comes to Kelly’s NFL fortunes. He’s the franchise’s fourth full-time offensive coordinator since 2021. — Tashan Reed, Raiders staff writer
Required reading
(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
