The Raiders are entering a new era. The Las Vegas front office decided a full season was enough for Antonio Pierce, firing him at the end of the 2024-25 season. Shortly after, the Raiders announced the hiring of Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll.
The former Seahawks coach was off the sidelines for a season, but he still served as an analyst for Seattle. Carroll now gets to fill out his coaching staff, and he tabbed a familiar name for offensive coordinator.
Former Ohio State OC Chip Kelly will be joining Carroll’s staff with the Raiders. Kelly was last in the NFL as the head coach for the 49ers in 2016 and has spent the past nine seasons coaching in college. He goes from being a national championship OC, to being the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL, making an average of $6 million per year.
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
Here’s why Las Vegas hired Kelly.
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Why did Raiders hire Chip Kelly?
Kelly himself played defensive back in college. He started out coaching on that side of the ball, but he’s since become an offensive guru and head coach. He was leading NFL sidelines from 2009-16 before taking over at UCLA from 2018-23. Kelly most recently served as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, helping the Buckeyes to a national championship win over Notre Dame.
The Buckeyes did enough on offense to win a natty, but its elite defense often received more credit. Still, Kelly is a widely regarded offensive mind and play-caller, and he should be able to mold a new quarterback with second-year TE Brock Bowers.
Carroll already brings plenty of experience to Las Vegas. He is the NFL’s oldest head coach and won the Super Bowl with Seattle in 2014. Kelly never won a Super Bowl while with the Eagles or 49ers, but his national championship offense at Ohio State averaged the 17th-most points per game out of 134 FBS teams.
Las Vegas needs a spark. Since moving from Oakland in 2020, the franchise has a 36-48 record. Last year, Las Vegas finished 4-13, and once again realized they had a problem under center. The Raiders hoped that Gardner Minshew would be the answer, but he wasn’t.
The good news is that Las Vegas own the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and are expected to be in the market for a new quarterback. Kelly should be able to not only draw up plays for a bridge QB but also a rookie waiting in the wings. In 2025, the Raiders will have Bowers, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and a whole lot of question marks on offense.
Kelly’s first stint in the NFL started successful. He went 10-6 in each of his first two years, winning the NFC East in 2013. In his final season, however Kelly went 6-9 before getting fired. The main complaints against Kelly were that he traded away fan favorites Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy. Kelly was also accused of making his offenses play too fast, and forcing his offense onto a team that didn’t have players that fit what was needed. This shouldn’t be a worry for Raiders fans as he will just be the OC and Carroll will be the head coach.
Chip Kelly coaching record
Coaching:
| Years | School | Record |
| 2009-2012 | Oregon | 46-7 |
| 2018-2023 | UCLA | 35-34 |
NFL:
| Years | Team | Record |
| 2013-2015 | Eagles | 26-21 |
| 2016 | 49ers | 2-14 |
Chip Kelly coaching timeline
- Oregon offensive coordinator (2007-2008)
- Oregon head coach (2009-2012)
- Philadelphia Eagles head coach (2013-2015)
- San Francisco 49ers head coach (2016)
- UCLA head coach (2018-2023)
- Ohio State offensive coordinator (2024)
