Adam Schefter reacts to Chip Kelly returning to NFL with Raiders, becoming highest-paid coordinator

The Las Vegas Raiders have made several splashes this offseason, first hiring Pete Carroll to be the franchise’s next head coach. Then, the Raiders broke the bank to bring in Chip Kelly, making him the highest-paid coordinator.

In the wake of that move, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, sharing his thoughts and reaction on Chip Kelly returning to the NFL and the record-breaking contract that the Raiders gave him.

“I think he wanted to get back to the NFL and the Raiders made a lot of inquiries and a lot of background checks to see what they were trying to do,” Adam Schefter said. “Again, I think everyone would agree on Chip’s offensive prowess and brilliance. They were trying to see, okay is there a reason we shouldn’t move in that direction? Is there another candidate that’s more qualified? They were looking at some other people as well. But, ultimately, the recommendations on Chip’s offensive mind came back in such a way that they felt this was the move to make.”

Chip Kelly has long since made his name as an offensive mind. That goes back to his time as the head coach at Oregon, which he would parlay into jobs in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, going 38-35 over four seasons before returning to college.

The Las Vegas Raiders have a massive task that they’re up against. They sit in a now highly competitive AFC West that is highlighted by the Kansas City Chiefs. So, moving up from the bottom of the division is a tall task that the new staff is being tasked with, especially given the current roster construction and apparent need of a new quarterback.

“They’re at a disadvantage in that division with those coaches and those quarterbacks in the AFC West. It’s loaded,” Schefter said. “He [Pete Carroll] comes in with energy and enthusiasm and a defensive expertise. So, they need somebody to run that offense and Chip Kelly is certainly capable of doing that.”

The Raiders are now, reportedly, giving Chip Kelly $6 million a year. That’s a massive number for an assistant coach and it would be hard for anyone to turn down. It marks a sign that the Raiders are now willing to spend to get the job done.

“They identified him. This is where the new money and the limited owners that the Raiders have come into play because Mark Davis got an infusion of money from the limited owners that included Tom Brady and they now can go out and spend that money on guys like Chip Kelly. There’s no salary cap for coaches. You’re capped off for what you can and can’t spend on players, but there’s no cap on coaches. So, if you want to go pay Chip Kelly $6 million a year to bring him into Las Vegas you can go do that, and having cash — and the Raiders clearly have some cash — that they can throw around on coaches and that they’re going to be able to use in the form of guaranteed money and signing bonuses to upcoming free agents,” Schefter said.

“So, that’s going to be something that I think the Raiders lean into as they try to make up ground on teams in the AFC West and the rest of that conference.”

Chip Kelly left UCLA, where he was the head coach, to go to Ohio State as an offensive coordinator. That came amid major changes in how rosters are constructed in college football. After one season, and a national championship, he’s now on to the NFL again.