Is the honeymoon over between Chip Kelly and Philadelphia Eagles?
We’ve tried to block out the noise coming from the college game and the ever-growing list of coaching jobs available when it comes to Chip Kelly.
We even took a long, hard pause before speculating too much about the pending opening for the NFL team that currently employs Kelly’s college quarterback and apple of his eye, Marcus Mariota.
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But now the din is starting to increase in Philly about Kelly and his future with the Eagles. Hint: It’s not looking as rosy as it once did.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Tuesday night on Sirius XM Radio that the signs are pointing toward an offseason split with the NFL’s most controversial coach and the team that has limped to a 4-6 record after back-to-back 10-win seasons.
“I think the momentum and signs seem to be piling up against a Chip [Kelly] return to Philadelphia,” Schefter said. “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.”
Although Schefter’s words don’t sound incredibly forceful, we’ve learned to read the tea leaves with his premonitory hint dropping and take them as legitimate possibilities. He added:
“I just think that Chip Kelly — if given a choice — might be comfortable elsewhere.”
Nothing shocking, right? Well, it depends on how you look at it.
The Eagles essentially remade the organization in Kelly’s likeness, giving him tremendous power and say over the roster, which led to some controversial manuevers this offseason that had Eagles fans crowing and media members scratching their collective heads. But based on his first two seasons in the league, there was a sense of … hey, maybe this mad wizard knows something we don’t.
Some of Kelly’s wizardy seems to have been dispelled. Sam Bradford has remained mostly pumpkin. The offensive water has not turned into wine. Players that Kelly let walk — LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin, to name a few — look quite cozy with their new teams, injuries notwithstanding. The smoke might be clearing and the mirrors cracking with Kelly’s vaunted system.
He’s under contract with the Eagles runs through the 2017 season, so the team likely won’t let him out of that deal without getting significant coin back — or if another NFL team approaches the Eagles about wanting Kelly, some kind of draft-pick compensation.
Kelly also could just say, “Hey, void the last two years. I just want out.” He turns 53 on Wednesday, and he’s made a lot of money the past several seasons. Kelly clearly still wants to coach, and he’ll have options galore in 2016. It might be best for both sides.
USC? Titans? Texas? (Hey, we know …) There will be multiple offers for Kelly, and the Eagles still have a mildly attractive situation for the team to find a quality successor. The way this thing is going, we need to start seriously considering what the next dominoes will be.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
