While the Philadelphia Eagles are heading to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, their former head coach might be making a return to the NFL.
Chip Kelly, 61, is coming off winning a national championship with the Ohio State Buckeyes as their offensive coordinator, and his success was noticed by the league. According to a report from CBS Sports, Kelly is being eyed for the open offensive coordinator roles with either the Houston Texans or Jacksonville Jaguars.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans fired his offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowick, after a disappointing season involving a sophomore slump for quarterback C.J. Stroud. Ryans was also on the Eagles while Kelly was head coach. CBS Sports' sources indicated this could be a natural pairing and that Kelly wouldn't have interference while calling plays.
Kelly went 26-21 as head coach before departing Philadelphia for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. It would make sense to see Ryans trust his former coach, but also because Kelly has been a successful coordinator at the college level. The Buckeyes offense was just the 13th passing offense in the nation, but Kelly got the most out of quarterback Will Howard.
During the national championship game against Notre Dame, Howard went 17-of-21 passing for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He also sealed the win for the Buckeyes by connecting with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith for 56 yards.
WILL HOWARD DEEP BALL TO JEREMIAH SMITH#PMSCFPNATTYESPN2 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ybfHo6NOaQ
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 21, 2025
However, Kelly has also been targeted by the Jaguars, who are desperate to get the most out of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The report suggests Jacksonville is looking to pair Kelly with new head coach Liam Coen, who was much sought after for helping quarterback Baker Mayfield bounce back on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Where Kelly lands will be decided soon, as staffs for the teams not competing for the Super Bowl are looking to get their plans for 2025 in place.
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