Chip Kelly is back in the NFL after nearly a decade away.
The Raiders are hiring Kelly as their next offensive coordinator, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday.
He brings a wealth of experience to the staff under head coach Pete Carroll as Las Vegas seeks to turn around an offense that ranked 29th in scoring during the 2024 campaign.
Kelly, who served as offensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes during their run to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship, last worked in the NFL as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 following a stint as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013-2015.
His hiring continues the theme of renewed rivalry in the AFC West.
Carroll and Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh are seemingly cosmically connected, rivals at the collegiate level when Carroll coached USC and Harbaugh led Stanford in the aughts before the two met again in the NFC West between 2011-2014 (Carroll with the Seattle Seahawks and Harbaugh with San Francisco). Now, divisional foes again, Carroll has added another wrinkle by way of Kelly, who coached against them both in the Pac-10 at Oregon and took the Niners' head coaching job two seasons after Harbaugh held it.
Kelly saw quick NFL success in Philadelphia under the pressure of replacing Andy Reid. The Eagles won 10 games in each of his first two seasons, but, under his watch popular players like Desean Jackson and LeSean McCoy were sent out of town, with the former being cut and the latter being traded to the Buffalo Bills.
The 2015 campaign saw Kelly go 6-9 before being fired with a week left in the season.
He quickly landed on his feet in San Francisco, but struggled while going 2-14 to last just a single year with the 49ers.
Kelly then spent six seasons as head coach of the UCLA from 2018-2023, turning the program around to win at least eight games in each of his final three seasons before leaving the Bruins to take on the OC job at Ohio State.
It was his first coordinator role since 2008, when he served the same role for the Oregon Ducks, but it produced tremendous results and provided a stepping stone back to the NFL.
With Kelly helming the offense, the Buckeyes went 14-2, winning the National Championship in the first year of the 12-team playoff format, in large part by averaging 36.3 points across their four tournament wins.
It was Kelly's first National Championship in any capacity, although he won two bowl games and made a trip to the BCS National Championship while cementing himself as a stellar offensive mind as head coach of the Ducks from 2009-2012.
That early success led to his first foray into NFL waters. His most recent triumph has helped him return there.
Kelly will have his work cut out for him. Las Vegas has much to figure out at nearly every offensive position outside tight end with Brock Bowers.
However, Carroll believes he's the man to help him turn around a Raiders franchise that has made just two playoff trips -- without a postseason win -- since losing the Super Bowl in 2002.
Time will tell if he's right, but the Raiders coaching staff certainly won't be short on experience while trying to get a reclamation project done.
