There has been so much Chip Kelly speculation this NFL season, and a common theory was that Kelly would end up with the Tennessee Titans, where his old college quarterback Marcus Mariota now plays.
The fit seemed obvious, but there was a problem before Tuesday: Kelly had a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Even if the Eagles would let Kelly go to Tennessee, it was presumably going to come at an expensive
price in a trade. There’s no such cost anymore. Kelly is free, after being fired by the Eagles on Tuesday night.
The Titans fired coach Ken Whisehunt during this season and need a new coach. So there’s no major, obvious obstacle stopping a reunion of Kelly and Mariota in 2016 in Tennessee.
While this all seems like a cozy fit, will the Titans want to go that route? It also would depend on what Kelly wants to do, but he hasn’t said anything that would lessen his chances of landing with the Titans. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports answered two big questions after a conversation with Kelly: Glazer reported that Kelly wants to remain in the NFL, and he does not want personnel control in his next job, he just wants to coach. Both are important revelations. The Titans, or any other NFL team, would surely have had reservations about giving Kelly personnel control, but apparently he doesn’t want it. And Kelly would have been a top candidate for any high-profile vacant college job in the future (and he has the financial cushion to wait for the right job) but that’s all moot if he wants to stay in the NFL. (continue reading)