After various reports that Chip Kelly was signing the dotted line to become the Cleveland Browns next head coach, the mastermind behind Oregon’s explosive offense has decided to stay put.
Kelly staying at Oregon is bad news for Browns fans, now left to wonder who exactly will lead the franchise into next season.
This could also be bad news for Chip Kelly, who could face sanctions from the NCAA by returning to Oregon. The Oregon Ducks football program is currently under investigation for recruiting violations.
Maybe the urge to return for another season and possibly win a National Champion with Oregon drove Kelly to return. In four years with the team he led them to a 46-7 record and made four consecutive BCS Bowl appearances. Most recently Oregon defeated Kansas State in the Tostitos’ Fiesta Bowl.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN broke the story about Kelly’s return and the Browns continued search for a coach. He writes:
“Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III will renew the search at ‘square one’ once his executive contingent, including CEO Joe Banner is stationed back in Cleveland after interviewing eight candidates in Arizona.”
One of the those candidates was Doug Marrone , former head coach for Syracuse. He recently signed with the Buffalo Bills to become their new head coach.
The only other team to reportedly interview Chip Kelly was the Philadelphia Eagles. After striking out with Kelly the Eagles have taken their coaching search elsewhere and are now set to interview Denver Broncos Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy.
What do you think, is Chip Kelly making the right choice by staying at Oregon for another season?