The San Francisco 49ers fired Chip Kelly as head coach, and he then lost out on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator job, so where does he go next?
New England, apparently, is a possibility for ex-Niners head coach. Kelly plans to meet with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick after the Jaguars decided to go with Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, a league source told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels decided to stay with the Patriots for the 2017 season, so it’s possible New England hires Kelly as an offensive assistant.
McDaniels rejoined the Patriots as an offensive assistant during the 2011-12 playoffs after he was let go as offensive coordinator of the Rams. Brian Daboll similarly rejoined the Patriots as an offensive assistant during the 2012-13 playoffs after being fired by the Kansas City Chiefs, so there’s some precedent in place for such a move.
Kelly and Belichick are friends dating back to Kelly’s time at Oregon. Belichick publicly supported Kelly after he was fired by the Philadelphia Eagles following last season.
Thumbnail photo via John Geliebter/USA TODAY Sports Images
