After the Raiders fired him, Chip Kelly surprised everyone with a powerful message about Geno Smith that fans can’t stop talking about. DH
The Chip Kelly era in Las Vegas is over after just 11 games. The Raiders hired Kelly from Ohio State and made him the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator on either side of the ball with a lucrative $6 million salary. The experiment failed miserably, and he finds himself back on the job market less than a full season into his Raiders tenure.
There doesn’t appear to be any hard feelings on the side of Kelly, who understands its a results-based business. At 2–9, the results simply had not been there for Las Vegas.
NFL insider Jay Glazer said he spoke to Kelly after the decision came down from head coach Pete Carroll. Glazer indicated that Kelly took the news in stride.
“I am grateful for the opportunity with the Raiders, bottom line in this league you have to win. I really loved those players, I’m a huge, huge Geno Smith fan, that was one of the best parts of this experience for me, working with Geno and those guys every day. But hey, we gotta win. I get it,” Kelly said.
Kelly is the second Raiders coordinator to be canned this season. Less than three weeks ago, special teams coordinator Tom McMahon was fired after a loss to the Broncos. It marked the first time Pete Carroll had ever fired a coordinator during the season, and now Kelly’s ousting marks the second.
Las Vegas’s offense was among the worst in the league prior to Kelly’s exit. Smith struggled under center, throwing as many interceptions as he did touchdowns (13). The team ranked 30th in yards per game (268.9), and despite drafting Ashton Jeanty early in the first round, they were 31st in rushing yards per game (79.5).
His 11-game run with the Raiders was Kelly’s third stint in an NFL coaching position. He’d previously served as head coach of the Eagles and 49ers.
