Sep 17, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; A Las Vegas Raiders helmet on the field prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders are slogging through a deeply underwhelming season, and it now appears the team has responded by dismissing one of its coaches.

Las Vegas entered the year with plenty of optimism after hiring new head coach Pete Carroll and pairing him once again with his former quarterback Geno Smith. But that optimism faded quickly, as the Raiders’ offense never found its footing.

Following Sunday afternoon’s loss to the Cleveland Browns — another game where the offense fell flat — the Raiders opted to move on from offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

“I spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release as offensive coordinator of the Raiders,” Carroll said in a Sunday press release. “I would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.”

The Raiders hired Kelly this past offseason after he helped guide the Ohio State Buckeyes to a national title as their offensive coordinator under Ryan Day. At $6 million per year, he entered the job as the highest-paid coordinator in the league.

Kelly’s coaching résumé spans both the college ranks and the NFL. He rose to prominence as Oregon’s head coach before transitioning to the pros, where he led the Philadelphia Eagles and later the San Francisco 49ers. He eventually returned to college football to take over at UCLA, then departed to run Ohio State’s offense.

Las Vegas has yet to announce who will handle offensive coordinator duties on an interim basis for the rest of the season.

Needless to say, this news led to a lot of reactions on social media.

“He wasn’t even a good coach at UCLA recently and somehow got an NFL job,” one fan wrote on X.

“Highest paid in the league and couldn’t even get the qb a clean pocket, talk about overpaying for that college swag. silver and black fans, y’all drafting a miracle next or just praying for a reset button?” someone else added.

“During the offseason, Las Vegas made Chip Kelly the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator. Now, out,” another person added.

“Chip Kelly, just like Bill Belichick, is massively overrated,” someone else wrote.

“There is a reason all these organizations are hiring young, innovative offensive minds and not older, more experienced players,” another person added.

We’ll have to see what’s next for Kelly and the Raiders.

About Dave Kelsey

Bets on sports stuff.