Chip Kelly, who spent the last six seasons as head coach at UCLA, is a top candidate for the vacant offensive coordinator role with the Seattle Seahawks, among other interested teams. Benjamin Solak of the Ringer reports that Kelly will interview for the position on Tuesday night. Kelly previously interviewed twice with the Las Vegas Raiders and was linked to the Washington Commanders before Kliff Kingsbury was hired for the position.
Kelly is known for his innovative offensive strategies, leading Oregon to top-three rankings in scoring offense in three of his four seasons as head coach and helping the Eagles make the playoffs in his first season as head coach. He has remained highly coveted for his creative ideas on offense, and the Seahawks have had their eye on him for some time.
After returning to the college ranks at UCLA, Kelly needed a few years to develop his players and get results, but he re-emerged as one of the sport’s best offensive play callers, with UCLA finishing 13th and eighth in scoring offense in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Kelly has expressed his issues with college football, including realignment and the transfer portal, and several college head coaches have already left for the NFL this offseason. Kelly would not have to worry about administrative duties as an offensive coordinator in the NFL, allowing him to focus solely on crafting his offensive scheme.
With Geno Smith set to return and a loaded group of position players, including DK Metcalf and Ken Walker III, Kelly would have no shortage of weapons to build his offense around in Seattle. He could be an exciting fit for the Seahawks due to his innovative ideas and prior experience coaching winning programs at both the NFL and college level.
Kelly is set to interview for Seattle’s offensive coordinator position tonight, making him the third candidate to do so after Ryan Grubb and Tanner Engstrand. If Klint Kubiak is hired by New Orleans for the same role post-Super Bowl, the only remaining offensive coordinator opening in the league will be in Seattle if they have not made a hiring decision by then.
