Chip Kelly is reportedly a candidate for Falcons if OC Kyle Shanahan leaves
The former Eagles and 49ers coach could land in Atlanta
The biggest fear for the Falcons is the closing of an offensive window when Kyle Shanahan presumably departs for the 49ers job this offseason, meaning change at offensive coordinator and the unknown when it comes to how the Falcons operate.
Remember: Shanahan was actually hired before Dan Quinn with the Falcons -- the Seahawks' Super Bowl run meant Quinn couldn't officially leave right away. The same is true for Shanahan, but Quinn is already looking at replacements.
And according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, one of those possible replacements is Chip Kelly.
Kelly was fired this offseason by the 49ers (hello, irony) after just a single season amid an awkward housecleaning situation for San Francisco. Before that, Kelly was with the Eagles for three seasons but was fired during the 2015 season by owner Jeff Lurie. The shine is off of Kelly's star at this point, although he certainly could find an NFL offensive coordinator job.
Although the Jaguars went with Nathaniel Hackett, Kelly was reportedly a finalist for that job (or at least interviewed for it). Afterward, he was expected to chat with Patriots coach Bill Belichick about any potential openings.
The Atlanta gig would be a good one. Matt Ryan might not be your "typical" Kelly quarterback, but he gets the ball out quick, makes smart decisions and is remarkably accurate. There are some outstanding skill position guys -- Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman -- in Atlanta for Chip to work with.
People point to his struggles with San Francisco but also forget all the success he had early in his NFL career with Nick Foles and Michael Vick. If he can replicate that, the Falcons could keep rolling right along offensively even if they lost Shanahan.
















