Raiders star drops 2-word verdict on Chip Kelly being hired as offensive coordinator 

After hiring Pete Carroll to replace Antonio Piece as the franchise's new head coach, the Las Vegas Raiders are adding another veteran coach to their ranks. According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the team is hiring Chip Kelly as the new offensive coordinator.

The 61-year-old spent the last seven years in college football. He was the head coach of the UCLA Bruins from 2018 to 2023, leading them to three straight seasons with at least eight wins in his final three years with the program.

After offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien left the Ohio State Buckeyes to become the new head coach of Boston College, they approached Kelly to fill the vacancy, and he accepted the role. In his only season with the program, he helped them compile a 14-2 record and win the National Championship.

The veteran coach is now joining the Raiders to help turn the tide of their dismal offense, which ranked 29th in points per game last season with 18.2. Center Jackson Powers-Johnson is excited about Kelly's arrival in Las Vegas and shared his approval of the move on X on Sunday. He posted:

"Let's goooo"

The duck emoji is a reference to the Oregon Ducks, the Raiders star's alma mater. Kelly was hired as the program's offensive coordinator in 2007 and spent two years in the role before being promoted to head coach. During his stint leading the Ducks, they made it to playoffs each year. They competed in the National Championship Game in 2011, where they lost to the Auburn Tigers.

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Chip Kelly's NFL career

Chip Kelly started his coaching career in 1990 with the Columbia Lions and had to wait 23 years to get his first shot in the NFL. However, it wasn't as a coordinator. The Philadelphia Eagles hired him to be their new head coach after firing Andy Reid following a 4-12 season in 2012.

In his first year, Kelly turned the team's tide, leading them to a 10-6 record and a division title. They lost 26-24 in the wildcard round to the New Orleans Saints, but the future seemed bright for Philadelphia. However, they finished 10-6 the following year despite fielding two different starting quarterbacks for eight games each but failed to make it to the playoffs.

The wheels came off in Kelly's third season with the franchise. They struggled to replicate the form of the previous two campaigns and were 6-9 after 15 games. The Eagles fired him before the final game of the season, ending his first stint as an NFL head coach.

He did not have to wait long for his next shot. In the 2016 offseason, the San Francisco 49ers hired him to be their head coach, replacing Jim Tomsula, who lasted only one season in the job. Kelly would meet the same fate, as the franchise fired him after the team finished 2-14.

He spent a year as a college football analyst on ESPN before returning to coaching. Nine years since his last job in the NFL, Kelly is back in the league with the Raiders, hoping to last longer than he did the last time.