The Las Vegas Raiders have found their offensive coordinator.
Similar to when they hired head coach Pete Carroll, the Raiders sent shockwaves through the NFL on Sunday when they hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to fill the same position for them.
It marks the first time Kelly has been in the NFL since 2016, after he was fired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He resurfaced with the UCLA Bruins in 2018, serving as their head coach before joining the Buckeyes in 2024.
With Ohio State coming off a national championship, the Raiders had to shell out the big bucks to bring Kelly over from Columbus to Las Vegas. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Kelly’s deal will pay him $6 million per season, making him the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL.
The @Raiders told candidates during their search they were making a serious commitment with an infusion of cash from the new owners. Here it is—Chip Kelly was lured to Vegas with a deal averaging $6 million per year, per sources.
Kelly is now the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 3, 2025
While Kelly only had one season at Ohio State, his stay in the Buckeye State proved fruitful. His offense featured two 1,000-yard rushers in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, as well as two 1,000-yard receivers in true freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith and first-round hopeful Emeka Egbuka.
Kelly will have to hope he can get some of those pieces back in April’s draft, but he now has All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers to work with, as well as a 1,000-yard receiver in Jakobi Meyers. The cupboard is a little bare past those two, but they are strong enough pieces to build a foundation.
Another interesting thing to note is that NFL executives are expecting cases like Kelly to be the standard going forward, with college coaches making the jump to the pros more regularly with the advent of NIL.
According to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, NIL has caused college football programs to run similarly to NFL franchises, leading to less trepidation on how coaches will handle the professional game. Jim Harbaugh is a recent example of this trend, jumping from the University of Michigan to the Los Angeles Chargers last offseason.
Chip Kelly’s return to the NFL signifies what many executives feel will become a new trend: College coaches going to the pros.
The collegiate game has, in many respects, become a farm system. NIL means programs are being run more and more like NFL franchises — and teams are… https://t.co/2jrahggINE
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 2, 2025
Ohio State’s coaching staff has been picked apart this offseason, with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles joining Penn State and offensive line coach Justin Frye going to the pros with the Arizona Cardinals.
Kelly now has the opportunity to add to the bleeding by hiring more candidates to help him run his offense. Former NFL wide receiver and well-respected receivers coach Brian Hartline could be picked up to serve as passing game coordinator, while longtime assistant coach Tim Drevno could be tasked with the offensive line.
Similar to Carroll, Kelly knows how to succeed at both the college and professional levels. If the team gets the proper talent on offense, the Raiders will be set to make a massive jump on that side of the ball.
