Chip Kelly wasn’t going to leave Ohio State for just any job.
As the now-former Ohio State offensive coordinator weighed his options following the conclusion of the Buckeyes’ national championship season, he wasn’t in a rush to leave Columbus. But when the opportunity to become an NFL offensive coordinator came his way – one that will reportedly pay him $6 million a year with the Las Vegas Raiders – Kelly ultimately decided it was an opportunity he shouldn’t pass up.
Kelly, whom the Houston Texans also pursued, explained his thought process of taking the job with the Raiders in an interview with The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel published Wednesday.
“I talked to two places really that they were aligned from their ownership to their general manager, personnel and head coach, and everybody was on the same page. And I was dealing from a position of strength because I had a really, really good job with really, really good people,” Kelly said. “And so it had to be a better opportunity for myself and (his wife) Jill to say, ‘Hey, are we going to take a look at this?’
“The one thing about the NFL that I love is it's the ultimate level of competition. It's football at the highest level. And you have to go against the best and the brightest from a coaching standpoint and a playing standpoint, and that challenge of trying to be the best team and be the world champ is a pretty cool deal. So when I got a chance to talk with (Raiders head coach Pete Carroll) last Saturday about this, and then Tom Brady on the ownership side, cause Tom's involved and he kind of represented the ownership during the interview process, it was just pretty cool to listen to their vision and their thoughts on what Raider football is and the Raider way is.
“And I know the history and tradition of them. I had an opportunity to become really friendly with Howie Long cause I coached his son Kyle in college. And I know growing up as a football guy, you know about the Raiders and the tradition of the Raiders. And I think all of it just kind of fell into place and was a pretty cool deal to be a part of it.”
Kelly said he didn’t talk to any NFL teams until after Ohio State’s season was over because he wanted his full focus to be on leading the Buckeyes to a national championship.
“To me, you always had to finish where you were,” Kelly said. “If you left your team before you went to a bowl game or things like that, I've never understood that. The season starts, the season ends, you don't want the players not to be there, same with you. So I never really talked to anybody until after our season was over.”
Across more than 30 minutes of conversation, Feldman and Mandel also asked Kelly about many of the pivotal moments of his season at Ohio State and what it was like for him to go through the ups and downs of the season alongside his close friend Ryan Day.
Kelly said he always believed Day would be successful but said Ohio State’s players were the reason why they won it all.
“What makes Ohio State so special is that, you know, the brotherhood there is real. Those guys truly love each other, and they played for each other and were as connected as any team that I have had an opportunity to be around,” Kelly said. “From the first day that I got there, I was like, ‘Wow, this is, it's a really mature group, and it's a really focused group.’ And it was definitely the reason, the reason we won was because of those players. And they were special. And that's something that I will always take with me and cherish those memories, but to be around that group of guys is the reason you coach.”
