Chip Kelly ranked surprisingly low on offensive play-callers list

The Las Vegas Raiders are hoping that a new approach is what they need to take the next step back to respectability.

Along with new head coach Pete Carroll and a smattering of new players to boost the lineup, the Raiders invested heavily in their offense by hiring former Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. With Kelly’s contract worth $6 million a year, he is far and away the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. With that level of confidence in Kelly’s play-calling, the new offensive coordinator has some high expectations early on.

However, Kelly’s offense comes with some cautious optimism for reasons both in and out of his control.

Kelly will have something to prove in his return to the NFL.

In his rankings of offensive play-callers for the 2025 season, Brandon Austin of Pro Football Network surprised Raiders fans by placing Kelly at 17th.

“Chip Kelly’s return to the NFL as the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator is a pretty intriguing storyline. Once considered a revolutionary force during his time with the Eagles, Kelly’s star faded quickly as defenses adjusted to his scheme. After stints rejuvenating offenses at UCLA and Ohio State, he re-enters the NFL with something to prove,” Austin wrote.

“The Raiders are banking on Kelly to turn around an offense that has struggled mightily in recent years. They’ve posted a D+ grade or worse in Offense+ in each of the past two seasons. With Geno Smith under center, explosive rookie Ashton Jeanty in the backfield, and a star tight end in Brock Bowers, Kelly has the tools to work with. Whether he can translate that to sustained NFL success is another story.”

Part of Kelly’s low ranking comes from his first run in the NFL between the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

While he posted top-five offenses in his first two seasons with the Eagles, Kelly’s head coaching run was derailed after he was given roster control in 2015, resulting in some polarizing decisions and ultimately ended with him being fired before the team’s last regular season game that year. His run with the 49ers in 2016 ended even worse, with the second-worst offense in the league that year, a 13-game losing streak and a rift with then-general manager Trent Baalke resulted in both being fired by season’s end. Kelly has since rebounded with UCLA and Ohio State, but he enters the Raiders with the need to prove his scheme can succeed long-term at the NFL level.

This season will be crucial for Kelly to show what he has learned in his near-decade out of the NFL.