The Raiders parted ways with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly Sunday night following a 24–10 loss to the Browns. Kelly is the second coordinator to depart Pete Carroll’s coaching staff during the latter's first year in Las Vegas, the first being special teams coordinator Tom McMahon, who was fired earlier in November after a defeat by the Broncos.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Carroll discussed what led to the decision to fire Kelly, making clear that he harbors no ill will towards his former offensive coordinator.
“I’ve been doing this for a lot of years. It’s a winning formula if you play good defense and you kick the ball well. We’re trying to get that and we just have not captured it, and so this is what this move is about,” Carroll said.
When asked if he and Kelly had differing opinions, Carroll said, “Not so much so. I gave Chip a lot of leeway because he’s got an extraordinary background and history, and he had such a phenomenal season coming out of Ohio State last year, so we wanted to give him his due and all that. As we continued to grow and come together, we just couldn’t get there. So, I wish him the very best, and I like him and we got along great, but we had to make a tough call.”
Carroll said he doesn’t anticipate making any other changes to his coaching staff this season. In his entire career as a head coach, which has spanned 19 seasons in the NFL, Carroll has never fired a coordinator during the season. That changed this year, as he’s already replaced both Kelly and McMahon 11 games into the campaign.
Las Vegas has struggled offensively all year long. The Raiders rank dead last in points per game (15.0) and are 30th in yards per game (268.9). Geno Smith has struggled under center, throwing a league-leading 13 interceptions (tied with Tua Tagovailoa), and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty has had trouble finding lanes to run through, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry at 44th among qualified running backs.
Kelly was the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL, earning $6 million per season after joining the Raiders’ coaching staff following a national championship run at Ohio State. With Kelly out, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson has taken over as the Raiders’ interim OC.
Las Vegas plays next on Sunday, Nov. 30, in a divisional rivalry tilt against the Chargers.
