Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was a controversial NFL figure over the past two years. He led the Eagles to two consecutive 10-6 runs to begin his tenure, then cut loose numerous star players in an attempt to make his roster “in his image”. It didn’t work out as planned in 2015, and this week it led to his firing.
While Kelly getting handed the pink slip wasn’t a total shock due to such a crazy off-season, it’s an odd move for a guy who won the NFC East in his first year at the helm and produced two winning seasons in three tries. All of this, also, he did without ever having his own hand-picked franchise quarterback.
Kelly certainly came up short in some areas, but he’s already admitted he wants to stick in the NFL ranks and could be on many team’s short list if they end up making a move for a new head coach. Some spots would make a lot more sense than others, though. Let’s break down the top five:
Tennessee Titans
This makes the most sense, as the Titans canned Ken Whisenhunt in the middle of the year and Mike Mularkey has never been the answer anywhere he’s gone. The opening is there to be had, but the big thing that connects the dots is that Kelly coached Titans franchise quarterback Marcus Mariota at Oregon. After failing to land him in last year’s draft, the writing on the wall could have him in Tennessee running his offense with the guy perfectly made for it.
Miami Dolphins
Miami fired Joe Philbin earlier this year and is in a similar situation as Tennessee, as they have a decent interim coach in Dan Campbell but it’s tough to know if he can be a long-term answer. It doesn’t seem like it, since the Fins won two games immediately after he took over, but they’ve tailed off considerably ever since. That could have Miami looking for someone who can best maximize beleaguered quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who some point to as the reason why the Dolphins can’t take it to the next level. Tannehill’s athleticism could actually be a perfect fit in Kelly’s up-tempo system, so if the Titans job isn’t open, perhaps Kelly would see this as the perfect fallback option.
Cleveland Browns
Kelly’s system is at it’s best when it has an athletic quarterback who can push the tempo and roll out read-option plays at will, so if Tennessee and Miami want to go in a different direction, maybe going to Cleveland and getting the most out of Johnny football uniforms is in order. Kelly did at one time recruit Manziel to play at Oregon, so there is an untapped connection here. The Browns have yet to cut ties with head coach Mike Pettine, but rumors suggest GM Ray Farmer is out and Pettine could be close behind.
San Francisco 49ers
Jim Tomsula has been the perfect stop-gap answer between what was a great head coach in Jim Harbaugh and whoever it is that eventually takes over the 49ers full-time, but keeping him on as “the guy” seems like a mistake. It wouldn’t be shocking to see San Francisco move on from Tomsula after one unspectacular season, and that could be to go get the available Kelly. With two athletic quarterbacks in place in Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick, Kelly would have some talent to work with to try to maximize his system.
New York Giants
Eli Manning wouldn’t really fit what Kelly does, but there could be an opening in the Big Apple is the G-Men finally decide to fire Tom Coughlin. Coughlin helped get Big Blue two Super Bowl championships, so the Giants brass has remained patient with him. However, four seasons of missing the playoffs may have taken their toll. Kelly wouldn’t really be the perfect fit here, but it should would be interesting to see him move to another team inside the division.
Got a better idea as to where Kelly could wind up in 2016 or think he returns to college football? Let us know in the comments below!
