The Washington Commanders have finally found a head coach, and now the attention turns to building a staff for Dan Quinn.
One of the reported names Thursday evening seemingly came out of nowhere.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that UCLA Bruins head coach Chip Kelly is a potential candidate.
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is a potential candidate for #Commanders OC under new head coach Dan Quinn, per sources. Kelly, a two-time NFL head coach, is believed to have interest in returning to the league and Washington will consider talking with him.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 2, 2024
“UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is a potential candidate for #Commanders OC under new head coach Dan Quinn, per sources. Kelly, a two-time NFL head coach, is believed to have interest in returning to the league and Washington will consider talking with him,” Fowler tweeted.
Interestingly, there seems to be some smoke to Kelly wanting to head back to the NFL. The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly interviewed Kelly “at least twice” for their offensive coordinator position before hiring Kliff Kingsbury, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The #Raiders interviewed #UCLA coach Chip Kelly at least twice for their vacant OC job under Antonio Pierce, sources say. Kelly appeared open to a return to the NFL… but Pierce ultimate chose Kliff Kingsbury.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2024
Kelly has had one of the most interesting career arcs of a football coach in recent memory. He burst onto the scene as the Oregon Ducks’ offensive coordinator for their high-powered offenses from 2007-09, which continued when he was promoted to head coach and led the team to three straight Pac-12 championships. He then spent 2013-16 as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, which ended poorly when he was given full control of the roster and traded running back LeSean McCoy and quarterback Nick Foles, which many Eagles fans bemoaned.
After being fired by the Eagles, Kelly was named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. His time was short-lived, as he was fired after just one season in which the Niners went 2-14.
Kelly was hired by UCLA in 2018, and in his six seasons with the team has been about as middle of the road as possible, amassing a 36-35 record and going 26-26 in conference play.
We’ve already seen multiple college head coaches take NFL jobs this offseason, as former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh took the same position with the Los Angeles Chargers and former Boston College Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley took the defensive coordinator role with the Packers earlier this week. Kelly could mark a third such example.
[Jeremy Fowler] [Ian Rapoport]
