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Chip Kelly reportedly on Tennessee Titans’ radar

By John Buhler

Nov 22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly prior to game action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly prior to game action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Tennessee Titans are an interesting destination for current Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly should he look to coach elsewhere in 2016.

According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Tennessee Titans a team that has significant interest in Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly should Kelly and the Eagles go their separate ways after the 2015 NFL season.

After back-to-back 10-win seasons in his first two years in the NFL, Chip Kelly’s Eagles are now 4-7 after being eviscerated by the also 4-7 Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field, 45-14. Kelly has had trouble finding a suitable quarterback to run his up-tempo, spread offense while coaching the Eagles. None of the following passers have been the answer for Kelly in Philadelphia: Nick Foles, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez or Tim Tebow.

The Philadelphia Eagles have plummeted to one of the worst teams in the NFC in the past few weeks and Chip Kelly may not want to stay in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future. Ian Rapoport says that the Tennessee Titans, who have moved on from former head coach Ken Whisenhunt, could stand as a suitable job for Kelly for several reasons: rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota and the improving Titans defense.

Kelly recruited Mariota out of Honolulu to come play for the Oregon Ducks in 2011. Mariota went on to win the Heisman Trophy and play for a National Championship in 2014. While Kelly reportedly tried to move up in the 2015 NFL Draft to acquire Mariota, he went to the Tennessee Titans second overall.

Nobody knows the Chip Kelly offense better than Marcus Mariota. Kelly would be coaching in a less hostile environment in Nashville, when compared to Philadelphia. The AFC South has been notorious for its perceived easiness.

While Kelly may want to stay with the Eagles, perhaps relocating to Tennessee would serve as a breath of fresh air for both him and the Titans organization. A Kelly/Mariota reunion in Nashville could put the Titans on the map in the AFC for the next decade, assuming the up-tempo offense can succeed in the long-term in the NFL.

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