Word circulates within Kentucky program that Chip Kelly could be next coach

The Raiders may be saving some of the money that would otherwise go to pay former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly's buyout.

Word is circulating among Kentucky players that Kelly could be the team's next head coach. That doesn't mean he will be. It doesn't even mean he's an official candidate. It means only that Kentucky players have somehow developed the impression that Kelly could be the new coach.

Kentucky fired coach Mark Stoops on Sunday, after the conclusion of a 5-7 season. On Saturday, Stoops said there was a "zero percent chance" he'd walk away. He had coached the Wildcats since 2013. He had a record of 72-80.

Kelly was the head coach at Oregon from 2009 through 2012. He coached the Eagles for three seasons and the 49ers for one year. After a year off in 2017, he coached UCLA from 2018 through 2023. He served as the Ohio State offensive coodinator in 2024, before being hired by the Raiders to a three-year contract with a reported value of $6 million per year.

The Raiders fired Kelly last Sunday night. If the rumor currently making the rounds among Kentucky players is accurate, Kelly could be crash landing on his feet, quickly.