Former NFL head coach and current Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has reportedly been hired by the Las Vegas Raiders to serve as the team's offensive coordinator under newly hired head coach Pete Carroll, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel on Sunday (February 2).
"Back to the NFL: Former Eagles HC Chip Kelly is being hired as the Raiders offensive coordinator, per me and @PeteThamel," Schefter wrote on his X account.
Kelly, 61, who had previously worked as a head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013 to 2015 and San Francisco 49ers in 2016, spent the past six seasons in college football, initially working as the head coach at UCLA from 2018 and 2023 before leaving to join Ryan Day's staff for the eventual College Football Playoff National Champion Buckeyes last February.
Kelly also spent six seasons with the Oregon Ducks, initially as an offensive coordinator from 2007 to 2008 before being promoted to head coach in 2009, Carroll's final season at conference rival USC. The 61-year-old has an 81-41 record as a collegiate head coach and a 28-35 record as an NFL head coach.
"I'm really looking for people that have been with me, that understand the philosophy to some extent," Caroll said during his Raiders introductory press conference last Monday (January 27) via ESPN. "I [also] want guys that have never been around me before so they have to learn what we're all about and we can watch the process of them learning what we're all about and what we expect. And then I'm hoping that we can maintain some of the terrific coaches that are on the staff, too, so we can have the benefit of the insights that they bring and the continuity that they can generate for us.
"We want ball people. We want guys that love the game...also, it's important to find people that can help us grow and challenge us and -- I know in my history -- I need people to keep me on track. As you can tell, I get pretty juiced up and I'm going to get going. I need people to keep me balanced."