Ranking 5 Chip Kelly Landing Spots If He Leaves Philadelphia

Nov 22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly prior to action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Chip Kelly may be leaving, and its time to figure out where he might go.

It really is crazy.  The past two seasons it looked like Kelly was the new wave of what head coaches would be in the NFL:  innovative, daring, fast-paced and having no fear of change when things don’t work right.  Well it seems after the 4-6 start the Philadelphia Eagles have had, players and others in the organization have begun to sour on the head coach.  So when asked about it on the radio, NFL insider Adam Schefter offered what he expects to happen.

"“I think the momentum and signs seem to be piling up against a Chip [Kelly] return to Philadelphia,” Schefter said during the interview. “I think both sides are sick of each other. I think the fans are tired of him. I think he’s tired of the situation there. That’s just my read from afar.”“I just think that Chip Kelly, if given a choice, might be comfortable elsewhere,” he added."

If that is the case and the two sides part ways in 2016, the question becomes what will Kelly do?  Obviously he’ll be in demand as a coach, so it’s a matter of finding him a new home.  Here are five locations and teams that could have interest.

#5:  LSU

At first glance the LSU program doesn’t seem to fit the kind of coach that Kelly is, but given the disappointment of the recent years under Les Miles despite such strong rosters, it may be time for a change.  Kelly is the kind of big name that team needs.  His success at Oregon proved he could run a successful program and it would be cheating if he had those resources and talent on hand right away.

#4:  USC

A triumphant return to the Pac-12 is something many are already predicting for Kelly.  He made his name at Oregon but now he could go over to the dark side by taking over their chief rival at USC.  Their program has steadily declined since the end of the Pete Carroll era.

Kelly is the kind of sweeping change they want in order to erase years of instability at the head coaching job.  Imagine how entertaining those Trojans-Ducks battles would be then.

#3:  San Francisco 49ers

There is no indication that the San Francisco 49ers are dissatisfied with Jim Tomsula as head coach.  Then again things change quickly around that franchise, and if Kelly becomes available he might be looked at as the last opportunity the team has to save the career of quarterback Colin Kaepernick.  He’s an ideal fit for Kelly’s offense given his dual-threat capability.

#2:  Cleveland Browns

Another young quarterback with the skill set that fits the Kelly offense is Johnny Manziel.  So quick and fast on the run with a good enough arm to chuck it down the field.  He would fit best in a system that can take advantage of those talents.  It’s obvious Mike Pettine is in boiling water at the moment and the Cleveland Browns are poised to make another change.

Besides, if he’s unsatisfied with Manziel, Kelly would likely have a top five pick in the draft to grab a quarterback of his choice.

#1:  Tennessee Titans

This one was too easy.  Everybody knows Marcus Mariota was recruited by Kelly when he was at Oregon.  Everybody knows the Philadelphia Eagles tried everything short of selling the franchise to move up in the draft to get the young quarterback.  It didn’t work out, and the team was forced to go with Sam Bradford.

With the coaching situation in Tennessee on thin ice (Ken Whisenhunt was already fired), the window should be open for Kelly have another chance to unite with his prized quarterback by taking over the Titans.  One can imagine how dangerous that offense would be.