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10 Worst Moments for Chip Kelly

Written by Jeremy

Chip Kelly had great success with the University of Oregon, leading the Ducks to a 46-7 record and four straight BCS Bowl appearances in four years.

His NFL days haven’t been as rosy, though, with Kelly going 28-35 in four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

He’s also suffered two embarrassing exits in both cities, prompting some to wonder if he’ll ever be a head coach in the NFL again.

Assuming any pro teams do consider Kelly, he’d better hope that they don’t fixate on the following 10 low points.

1. Getting Rid of Stud Eagles in the 2015 Offseason

In the 2015 offseason, Philadelphia owner Jeff Lurie announced that Kelly would assume control of the roster as head of football operations. This made sense, given that Kelly had just guided the team to two straight 10-6 seasons. But perhaps he let the power go to his head.

First, he traded All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy for linebacker Kiko Alonso (former Oregon Duck), who was coming off an ACL tear. Then, he released cornerback Cary Williams (see point #7), outside linebacker Trent Cole, tight end James Casey, and offensive linemen Todd Herremans & Evan Mathis.

Kelly also traded Nick Foles and a draft pick for Sam Bradford, which didn’t make the team any better.

These moves are part of why Lurie was quick to let Kelly go following a 6-9 record (fired w/ one game left) in the 2015-16 season.

2. Guiding San Francisco to a 2-14 Record

We’re not going to lie, Chip Kelly was dealt a tough hand in San Francisco. But it was he who stepped into this mess, which was only made worse by Jed York, one of the worst owners in pro sports.

Kelly suffered through a humiliating season that included blowout losses, Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protests, and a 2-14 record.

3. Releasing DeSean Jackson

DeSean Jackson was a big help in Kelly’s first season in Philadelphia, when the team finished 10-6 and won the NFC East. He caught 82 passes for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns in the 2013-14 season.

However, Kelly decided to cut him in the offseason – a move that got Philly nothing in return for a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver. That said, it’s little wonder why Jackson bashed Kelly when he was fired in 2016.

“I’m a firm believer that bad karma comes back to you,” Jackson said. “When you ruin a team like that, you do things to people’s families, you release people, you trade people, you get rid of good players who build something with the community, with the fans, with the kids — to have a guy come in and change up the team like that, I just believe in karma.”

4. Ranked as Worst NFL Coach in 2015-16 Season 

A panel at NFL Now ranked Chip Kelly dead last in a mock draft of head coaches. This is a little harsh since Jacksonville’s Gus Bradley was still active then. Nevertheless…

5. Failing to Adapt His Offense to the NFL

After highly successful stints at New Hampshire (offensive coordinator) and Oregon (coach & offensive coordinator), Chip Kelly was regarded as an offensive genius by many.

In the 2012 offseason, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick even met with Kelly to pick his brain about the “blur” offense.

It seemed that the uptempo offense he used at Oregon was translating well to the NFL, as the Eagles confused many opponents in the 2013-14 season.

But as time wore on and personnel changed, Kelly’s offense became less effective, and teams adapted. But he was always too stubborn to tinker with his system.

6. Signing DeMarco Murray

While McCoy seemed like the perfect fit for Kelly’s zone-blocking scheme, he shipped him off in the aforementioned trade and signed DeMarco Murray to a 5-year, $42-million deal ($21m guaranteed).

Based purely on numbers, it seemed like a great idea because Murray was coming off a season in Dallas where he rushed for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns. In practice, it was an utter failure because this power runner doesn’t have the shiftiness to make tacklers miss in a zone-blocking scheme.

The result was 702 rushing yards and a 3.6 YPG average for Murray in what’s been his only season under 1,000 yards in the past four years. For Kelly, it was yet another blunder in the general manager area.

7. Using a College Practice Schedule at the Pro Level

The NFL is a demanding league that sees players constantly dealing with aches, pains, and serious injuries. That said, the practice regime is normally lighter in-season.

But not on Chip Kelly’s watch, as he used a rigorous practice schedule during the year. This drew the ire of Williams, who delivered the following rant:

“I’m just going to be honest with you. It’s hard to go out there and fight for 60 minutes when you’re fighting throughout the week to make it through one practice. I’m not the only one. I’m just the only one that’s man enough to stand up here and talk to y’all. It’s obviously, in my opinion, an issue in our starts.”

8. Going on a 13-Game Losing Streak with San Francisco

After dominating the L.A Rams 28-0 to open the season, it appeared that the Chip Kelly era might not be so rough in San Francisco. But then the team lost 13 straight games and even flirted with the league’s worst record when Cleveland finally won.

They would stop the bleeding with another win over L.A., but it wasn’t enough to save Kelly’s job.

9. Signing Riley Cooper to a $22.5 Million Deal

While Riley Cooper is a good blocking receiver who does the intangibles, he hardly has the talent to be worth a 5-year, $22.5-million deal.

Nevertheless, this is what Kelly handed him in yet another baffling move. Riley was released by the Eagles in the 2016 offseason and hasn’t played since.

10. Being Targeted by McCoy in a Feud

This was a totally one-sided feud, but one caused by Kelly nonetheless when he shipped a fan favorite off to Buffalo. McCoy was obviously bitter about being traded away from the team he spent his first six seasons with and let the public know about it.

[Our] relationship was never really great. I feel like I always respected him as a coach,” he told ESPN. “I think that’s the way he runs his team. He wants the full control. You see how fast he got rid of all the good players. Especially all the good black players. He got rid of them the fastest. That’s the truth. There’s a reason. … It’s hard to explain with him. But there’s a reason he got rid of all the black players — the good ones — like that.”

It appears that McCoy may have the last laugh since it doesn’t look like Kelly will coach in the NFL again any time soon…if ever.