The Raiders have got their guy for the ever-important offensive coordinator position. On Thursday night, they agreed to a deal (not official) with former Arizona Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury to be their new offensive coordinator.
There were several names mentioned for the job, including Alex Van Pelt and Mark Sullivan. But one name that wasn’t mentioned on social media was Chip Kelly.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Raiders interviewed Kelly multiple times for their offensive coordinator role. Kelly has been looking to get back into the NFL after a short stint as the head coach of the Eagles and the 49ers,
The #Raiders interviewed #UCLA coach Chip Kelly at least twice for their vacant OC job under Antonio Pierce, sources say. Kelly appeared open to a return to the NFL… but Pierce ultimate chose Kliff Kingsbury.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2024
The Raiders decided to go in a different direction, but it is interesting that Antonio Pierce and the front office did have some interest here. It appears that Kelly could land in Washington with the Commanders, but he was close to taking the job in Las Vegas.
Kingsbury was the offensive coordinator at USC last season and he has a much different offensive philosophy than Kelly. It’ll be fascinating to see how he does in the NFL the second time around.
