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After leading Ohio State’s offense to a national title, former NFL head coach Chip Kelly could be set for a return to the pros.
Kelly is “at the top of the list for several teams” looking for an offensive coordinator ahead of the 2025 season, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
Jones listed the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as potential NFL destinations for Kelly.
Kelly last coached in the NFL when he led the San Francisco 49ers during the 2016 season. He then served as UCLA’s head coach for six seasons before joining Ohio State in 2024 as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
According to Jones, the Jaguars have “had interest in pairing new head coach Liam Coen with Kelly.”
Jones noted it is “unclear how involved Kelly would be” in play-calling with the Jags given Coen’s experience as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kelly is also seen as the “logical successor” in Houston given his connection to head coach DeMeco Ryans, whom he coached when Ryan played for the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Jones.
Because Ryan was formerly the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Kelly could be a better fit as play-caller in Houston, Jones noted.
Kelly’s previous stint in the NFL began in 2013, when he spent three seasons as head coach of the Eagles.
After leading the Eagles an NFC East title and a playoff game in his first season with the team, Kelly’s team missed the playoffs in 2014. He was fired before the final game of the 2015 season after the Eagles were again eliminated from playoff contention.
Kelly then spent just one season with the 49ers before he was fired after the team finished the 2016 campaign with a 2-14 record.
After six seasons leading UCLA to a 35-34 overall record, Kelly said he was glad to be moving from head coaching to a coordinator position when he joined Ohio State last spring.
“To me, the best part of football is the football,” Kelly said last May, per CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno. “So you got to do football, and not some of the things that are involved with the head coaching deal.”
Ohio State then went to the national championship game in Kelly’s first season with the team, where his offensive unit put up 445 total yards against Notre Dame to claim the title.
The Buckeyes paid a $1.5 million buyout to UCLA in order to sign Kelly to a three-year deal last spring, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. If Kelly gets an offer from an NFL team, Ohio State could end up losing him after just one season.
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