A name who once dominated NFL head-coaching cycles a few years ago has been on the lips of candidates and teams alike in recent weeks. Multiple sources tell CBS Sports that UCLA head coach Chip Kelly has been mentioned as a possible offensive coordinator by multiple head-coaching candidates this cycle, and multiple teams have started due diligence on the former Eagles and 49ers head coach for their potential offensive coordinator vacancy.
Kelly, 60, has been at UCLA since 2018 with a 35-34 record, including a 25-13 mark in the past three seasons.
Kelly ushered in an offensive revolution in the NFL in the 2010s with his hurry-up offense and RPO-laden schemes.
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The Eagles hired him as their head coach in 2013 after firing Andy Reid, following Kelly's historic run at Oregon. That lasted just three seasons, and the 49ers scooped him up in 2016 as their head coach. He went a disastrous 2-14 with San Francisco and was fired at the end of the year.
Bringing Kelly to an NFL team would give an offense an instant jolt, and it could create instant credibility for either a defensive-minded head coach or a first-timer.
Last year the NFL saw half the league change offensive coordinators. This year, it's trending toward the same -- if not more.
In addition to the eight head-coaching changes that should bring new offensive coordinators, there are vacancies for the permanent offensive coordinator roles in Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Chicago. That's not to mention the positions that become open when some of the top offensive coordinators currently with teams are plucked as head coaches elsewhere, or when more staff changes take place across the league following the divisional round of the playoffs as many sources anticipate.
