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Chip Kelly Rumors: NFL owners think former Eagles coach is begging for a job

Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Several NFL teams have already been rumored to be interested in former Eagles coach Chip Kelly. But according to a report from NFL insider Jason Cole, not all teams are so impressed with him.

“In talking to two NFL owners over the weekend, the impression that they gave is they were simply not that impressed with former Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly and the work that he did. It was not so much the X’s and O’s part, those owners talked about, it is the executive function Kelly seemed to lack.

And one of the things that they came away with was that the statement from Kelly last week, where he talked about how much he loved his players, was a clear indication of how he didn’t understand it. It came off as basically Kelly having to beg for a job to tell owners ‘Oh, I really do know how to handle this.’

In other words, what they see is a coach who does not know how to relate to players at the professional level, does not understand how to motivate players at the professional level, and ultimately might be a better fit back at the college ranks.

So right now Chip Kelly is in some dire straits if he really does intend to stay at the NFL.”

There's some evidence to support Cole's report. Kelly reportedly expressed interest in joining the 49ers, as opposed to the other way around.

Kelly's lacking ability as a personnel guy shouldn't be as much of a concern in a setup where he's only the head coach. Jay Glazer said that Kelly told him he just wants to go back to coaching.

Still, as Cole notes, the issues with Kelly go beyond his personnel acumen. The way his tenure ended abruptly in Philadelphia might scare off some suitors. A big reason why Jeffrey Lurie felt the need to move on from Kelly was because, according to reports, everyone was getting sick of Kelly.

It'll be interesting to see where the former Eagles coach lands.

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