Chip Kelly Fired: Raiders Fold on Off-Season Offensive Coordinator Gamble After Offense Busts Again

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LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Raiders have fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the team announced Sunday night on its social media platforms.

Allegiant Stadium. Photo: Jeffrey Hayes, Wikimedia Commons

“I spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release as offensive coordinator of the Raiders,” Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said in a statement released by the team on X. “I would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.”

Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll. Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri, Wikimedia Commons

Carroll did not immediately name who would be replacing Kelly in his role for the rest of the season.

The move follows a 2-9 start for the Raiders, who are amid a five-game losing streak that was extended with a 24-10 loss at home to the Cleveland Browns Sunday afternoon. The loss also saw Raiders quarterback Geno Smith get sacked 10 times by the Browns’ defense as the Raiders once again struggled to generate any kind of consistent offense.

Kelly appeared to take his firing in stride, according to a statement he gave to NFL reporter Jay Glazer on X.

Former Las Vegas Raiders Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly during his stint as Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator. Photo Bobak Ha’Eri, Wikimedia Commons

“I am grateful for the opportunity with the Raiders, bottom line in this league you have to win,” Kelly said. “I really loved those players, I’m a huge, HUGE Geno Smith fan, that was one of the best parts of this experience for me, working with Geno and those guys every day. But hey, we gotta win. I get it.”

Kelly is now the second Raiders coordinator to be fired this season, as the Raiders’ special teams coordinator, Tom McMahon, was fired following their 10-7 loss to the Broncos less than three weeks ago. That firing was the first time Carroll had ever fired a coordinator during the season in his NFL career, and now Kelly’s firing is the second ever instance, according to an article from Sports Illustrated.

Kelly returned to the NFL this season after helping lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to a NCAA college football national title as their offensive coordinator last year. Kelly was reportedly the highest paid coordinator in the NFL, as he signed a three-year deal worth $6 million per year to return to coaching in the NFL, according to Spotrac co-founder and editor Michael Ginnitti on X.

In his two previous head coaching stints in the NFL, Kelly coached the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. From 2013-2016, Kelly coached those teams to a combined 28-35 record across four seasons, according to pro-football-reference.com.

The Raiders are currently tied for last in the NFL in points per game (15.0), 30th in total yards per game (268.9), 31st in rushing per game (79.5 yards), 30th in offensive EPA (expected points added) (minus-77.8) and 28th in red zone efficiency (48.1%), according to an article from ESPN. The same article also notes that the Raiders have scored fewer than 10 points in four games so far this season, which is the most of any team in the NFL.

The Raiders return to action next Sunday, Nov. 30, when they travel to SoFi stadium for a divisional showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers. Kickoff is at 3:25 PM CST (1:25 PM local time). The Chargers won the first matchup between these two teams in Las Vegas by a score of 20-9 back in week 2 of the NFL season.