Chip Kelly is covering his tracks after USC moved on

The Philadelphia Eagles head coach has denied reports of an in-person meeting between he and Southern Cal

The Chip Kelly to Southern Cal rumors made too much sense to wind up being true. USC has moved on to promote Clay Helton from within and Kelly, at least for now, is sticking with the Eagles. In fact, Kelly is doing everything he can to distance himself from the USC opening including flatly denying meeting in person with USC officials to NFL.com’s Ian Rappoport.

What did we really expect Chip Kelly to do other than deny any meeting? Even if he was the one who ultimately turned Southern Cal down a meeting with the school would completely alienate the entire Philadelphia Eagles organization. He’s not exactly on firm footing with the team’s ownership or fans in the first place given their struggles this year. He simply can’t afford to take any risks if he wants to keep the job he has.

Even if Kelly is looking to get out-of-town, admitting he met with USC would damage his leverage in other job negotiations. He wants the perception to be that he’s very happy in Philadelphia and it would take an extraordinary offer to lure him away. That’s how he can walk away with the best financial deal possible. If you don’t think officials at Georgia are watching his every word as it relates to his coaching future you aren’t paying attention.

Kelly was even very measured in his denial. He didn’t go so far as to say he’d never met with USC officials. He just refuted a specific report that detailed where and when the meeting was supposed to take place. That allows him to spin it as a full denial to Eagles faithful while sending a subtle message to other would-be suitors that he is available for meetings.

Chip Kelly is too smart to box himself in public comments at this point in his career. He knows he is on thin ice in Philadelphia and may need a college job safety net to revive his career.