Chip Kelly is on the move again - and this time, he’s headed back to college football, taking the offensive coordinator job at Northwestern. It’s a surprising twist in a coaching journey that’s been anything but predictable. From orchestrating high-octane offenses at Oregon to a rocky ride in the NFL, and now landing at a struggling Big Ten program, Kelly’s latest chapter has fans across the college football landscape reacting like someone just fumbled at the goal line.
Let’s set the scene: Kelly was let go by the Las Vegas Raiders in late November after just 11 games, and now, just weeks later, he’s resurfaced in Evanston. For a coach once hailed as a revolutionary offensive mind, the optics of this move have sparked everything from confusion to outright criticism.
Social media lit up the moment the news broke. One fan cut straight to the point: “Left Oregon, left UCLA, left OSU… Kelly just needs to stay in college.”
That sentiment isn’t new. Kelly’s track record suggests he thrives in the college game - when he’s in the right system with the right talent.
But others weren’t so forgiving. “Should have stayed at Oregon lol,” one commenter jabbed, referencing the peak of his coaching career.
Another, clearly a Buckeyes fan, pleaded, “Just come back to Ohio State bro.”
And then there were those who questioned how Kelly continues to land jobs at all. “If he doesn’t have talent, he’s just a mediocre OC,” one user wrote.
“He’s not the guy we saw at Oregon.” That’s a tough but fair take.
The version of Kelly we saw in Eugene was ahead of his time - tempo, spacing, misdirection - it was all cutting-edge. But that edge has dulled in recent years, especially during his NFL stints and the latter part of his college stops.
Some fans didn’t hold back on the personal digs either. An Oregon loyalist made their feelings crystal clear: “As an Oregon fan I wish nothing but failure on him 😂.”
Another comment pointed to a broader issue in the sport: “Where is the loyalty? Ohhh only Black players supposed to have it huh.”
It’s a pointed observation about the double standards that still exist in how we talk about player versus coach mobility.
And of course, there were the career trajectory critiques. “Grass isn’t always greener,” one fan wrote.
“Maybe stay at a perennial title contender coaching five stars - now you’re in the basement coaching two stars.” That’s the harsh reality Kelly faces at Northwestern.
This isn’t Oregon, where he had elite athletes and a system tailor-made for speed and space. This is a rebuild.
A grind. And it’s going to test whether Kelly still has the chops to elevate an offense without the luxury of blue-chip talent.
One particularly stunned fan summed up the disbelief: “Lmao… wins a national championship with OSU in 1 year… leaves to go back to pros… only to return to Northwestern… wow what a dummy.” It’s hyperbolic, sure, but it captures the whiplash of Kelly’s coaching arc. From the mountaintop to the basement, all in a matter of seasons.
Now, let’s talk about what went wrong in Vegas. The Raiders parted ways with Kelly after a brutal 2-14 campaign heading into the final week.
The offense - his supposed specialty - never found its rhythm. Depending on who you believe, either Kelly never got to run his system, or he had full control and simply couldn’t make it work.
Regardless of the behind-the-scenes drama, the results were undeniable: the offense was a mess, and the team spiraled.
Still, Kelly doesn’t walk away empty-handed. His Raiders contract reportedly included an eight-figure payout, and he’s still owed that money. So while the Vegas chapter ends in disappointment, it’s not without financial consolation.
As for Northwestern, they’re betting that Kelly’s experience and offensive mind can help turn things around. But make no mistake - this isn’t a destination job for Kelly.
It feels more like a reset. A chance to regroup, reestablish his value, and maybe, just maybe, write a new chapter that looks a little more like the Oregon days and a little less like the Vegas ones.
Whether he can do that in Evanston remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: the Chip Kelly coaching carousel isn’t done spinning just yet.