Why did Raiders hire Chip Kelly as OC? Exploring reasons behind Pete Carroll's latest move

The Raiders hired Pete Carroll as their head coach and have now added Chip Kelly as their offensive coordinator. The latter was most recently the offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach for the victorious Ohio State college program that won the National Championship.

Chip Kelly also has previous experience in the NFL, most notably as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. However, he has never been an offensive coordinator at this level and only has experience doing so at the college level. Despite this, he will be in charge of Pete Carroll's offense in Las Vegas and the Raiders were willing to make him the highest-paid coordinator in the league. We look at some reasons why the Raiders chose to go with him.

Potential reasons for the Raiders' Chip Kelly hiring as Pete Carroll's offensive coordinator

#3 - Offensive complement and potential successor to Pete Carroll

Pete Carroll is 73 years old and has a background as a defensive coordinator. He was let go from his last job with the Seattle Seahawks, where he was an institution, in part because the offense stagnated in his final year. Chip Kelly can come and handle that side of the ball. He is in his sixties and also has head-coaching experience, which means that he can step in if the head coach struggles.

Pete Carroll also needed a new offensive coordinator because Shane Waldron, who held that position with the Seahawks until 2023, was fired midway through the 2024 season after struggling to get the best out of rookie first-overall pick Caleb Williams in Chicago. His former quarterbacks coach, Dave Canales, has his own head coaching job with the Carolina Panthers. Therefore, getting someone like Chip Kelly made sense for the Raiders.

#2 - Kliff Kingsbury's success with Commanders offers a template

Kliff Kingsbury was coaching at a college level before taking the Washington Commanders' job as an offensive coordinator. He was previously a head coach in the NFL with the Cardinals and is now paired with Dan Quinn, who comes from the defensive side of the ball. It has worked to make rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels the favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

It is now a similar dynamic between Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly. The latter will be tasked with developing a new quarterback, potentially a rookie that they draft this year. The Raiders' major problem last year was their instability at that most important position.

#1 - Ability to work with Will Howard or other rookie QBs

The Raiders need someone to train whoever comes in and Chip Kelly has the necessary experience in the NFL and was recently working with youngsters in college. He fits that bill perfectly. In fact, it might give us an indication that the Raiders might have their eyes on someone like Will Howard, who was the quarterback for Ohio State in their National Championship victory.

However, even if the chips do not fall that way, Kliff Kingsbury's experience shows that Chip Kelly's skills might be transferable. The Commanders' offensive coordinator worked with Caleb Williams in college but did not miss a beat taking charge of Jayden Daniels. The Raiders want their new hire to do the same.