The Las Vegas Raiders spent a lot of money making reinforcements to a crippingly bad offensive product ahead of the 2025 NFL season. While that certainly gave the fan base quite a bit of hope, it also meant that the offense needed to deliver immediately.
Well, after perhaps a brief blip in Week 1, this unit completely fell on its face. Various issues plagued the group, like ill-advised play-calling, bad quarterback play, poor blocking and an inability to run the football. So, just about everything but catching the ball when it was thrown to the right spot.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was made the fall guy, expectedly, as he was fired following Week 12's loss to the Cleveland Browns. Head coach Pete Carroll wasn't going to blame his hand-picked quarterback or the offensive line, both of whom are coached by his sons, so Kelly who got the boot.
Former Raiders OC Chip Kelly interviews for Georgia Tech OC position
Being relieved of his duties, however, did not mean that Kelly was going to sit on his hands. The 62-year-old is practically a lifelong coach at this point, and most expected that, with his impressive résumé, he would quickly land on his feet somewhere.
On Thursday, there was an update on what Kelly's next move might be, and Raider Nation is simultaneously embarrassed and laughing out loud. On3 Sports' Pete Nakos reported that Kelly interviewed for the opening offensive coordinator position at Georgia Tech.
This is not to knock on Georgia Tech. They have been much improved under head coach Brent Key, went 9-3 this year, and will play against BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. But the Yellow Jackets aren't exactly a powerhouse, and not long ago, Kelly was coaching for a National Championship team.
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On the one hand, if he got a Power-4 offensive coordinator gig right off the bat, that would be a fairly good landing spot for him. But it's quite the fall from grace to go from Power 4 head coach, to play-caller for Ohio State and the Las Vegas Raiders, then back down to Georgia Tech.
Of course, between being a few weeks removed from the situation now, following the various reports that have piled in since his firing, and watching a Greg Olson-led offense in Las Vegas, Raider Nation has at least partially absolved Kelly of blame for the Silver and Black's shortcomings.
As frustrated as the fan base still is that he couldn't get it done, they also understand just how hard it is to get it done in Las Vegas. Kelly is still a good offensive mind, and if he gets the job, hopefully he can transform the Georgia Tech offense in the way that he was supposed to with the Raiders.