Raiders' desperate Chip Kelly negotiating ploy feels like a massive reach for them

$6 million annually was the price of doing business with Chip Kelly. The former Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator and UCLA Bruins head coach is back in the NFL after joining Pete Carroll's first Las Vegas Raiders staff. This compensation is nearly on par with what Kelly was making at UCLA before bolting on the Bruins to lead Ohio State's offense. I get that this is the NFL, but this is insane!

Kelly has wanted to get back to the NFL ever since failing as the Philadelphia Eagles' former head coach and that one unmitigated disaster of a year leading the San Francisco 49ers. While his stock has arguably never been higher, I remember when he could do no wrong after his four-year run at Oregon. Kelly had plenty of NFL suitors, but the Raiders feel like suckers for taking the bait here.

His previous failures in the NFL resulted in his inability to relate to players, as well as his failure to recognize that the hash marks are not as wide professionally as they are in the college game. He picked his playbook over his players and paid a price for it. Fortunately, the Raiders tend to do things differently, which is why the Silver and Black hired a 70-something head coach to lead their franchise.

If Kelly is to make some $6 million next fall, we have to wonder if it will help the Raiders even go 6-11...

The only thing that matters for the Raiders right now is getting the right quarterback to lead them.

Las Vegas Raiders paid a fortune so that Chip Kelly can call plays for them

While we should give Kelly some credit for using the right combination of run and pass with last year's Ohio State team, the 2024-25 Buckeyes could have largely driven itself. Ohio State had more financial resources than anyone to contend for the College Football Playoff they eventually won. Having a great head coach in Ryan Day was as big of a positive as it was having Kelly and Jim Knowles on staff.

What I am getting at is Kelly is going from the penthouse to the doghouse in terms of resources at his disposal. The Raiders have drafted poorly for the better part of three decades now. While Brock Bowers was sensational as a rookie, not having a succession plan at quarterback in a post-Derek Carr world resulted in the Raiders having the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Can they get a quarterback?

While other NFL teams such as the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars had offensive coordinator vacancies, the Raiders won out because they paid the most. Yes, having a Super Bowl champion at head coach in Carroll is a huge plus, but the Raiders have been the epitome of dysfunction for well over 20 years now. Kelly it a bit of a rebel, so I guess he does fit the brand well.

For as cash-strapped as the Raiders usually are, the money Kelly is slated to make speaks volumes.