Raiders’ new OC lured in by Carroll: ‘I’ve got great respect for him’

Chip Kelly was in no rush to leave Ohio State. Not after rediscovering his love for football by ditching the ever-growing responsibilities of a college head coach to run the Buckeyes offense.

But then Pete Carroll and Tom Brady came calling with an offer to join the Raiders. It was an opportunity too tempting for Kelly to ignore.

The chance to work with Carroll, his old college and NFL nemesis, compelled Kelly to return to the NFL for the first time since being fired as the 49ers coach in 2016. The 61-year-old was also attracted by the presence of Brady, the Raiders minority owner, and new general manager John Spytek.

“I would only go somewhere where I felt really confident in the alignment from the ownership to the personnel to the head coach,” Kelly said Wednesday. “And I really felt that when I met with Pete.”

Kelly has been known for his innovative offenses throughout his long career. He first rose to prominence as Oregon’s offense coordinator from 2007-08. He later coached the Ducks from 2009-12, as well as the Eagles (2013-15), 49ers (2016) and UCLA (2018-23). He’s crossed paths with Carroll several times when Carroll coached USC (2001-09) and the Seahawks (2010-23).

Kelly made a major switch last offseason by leaving the Bruins to call plays for the Buckeyes. He plans to adjust his style in Las Vegas as well.

“My coaching philosophy is very simple — now three words: Just win, baby,” Kelly said.

The Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff national championship in Kelly’s one season at Ohio State and were tied for 12th in the FBS in points per game (35.7). He was content to stay there until Carroll reached out.

“I’ve got great respect for him,” Kelly said of Carroll. “I think everybody in the coaching profession, if you get a chance to work with Pete Carroll, you’re pretty excited about it.”

Brady, Spytek and owner Mark Davis’ vision for the Raiders played a big role in Kelly coming to Las Vegas.

“I was just excited about the alignment of everybody,” Kelly said.

Focus on improvement

The Raiders lured Kelly in with a deal that averages $6 million per year, making him the NFL’s highest-paid assistant. They’re counting on him to turn around an offense that finished 29th in the league in points last season (309).

There are plenty of reasons for the Raiders’ struggles, with quarterback at the top of the list. Neither of the Raiders’ two primary starters last season, Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew, distinguished themselves.

Kelly has had success with different types of signal callers, from traditional pocket passers like Nick Foles to dual threats like Marcus Mariota. He said there’s no one formula for what works. It’s about building an offense that highlights the individual talent of a given quarterback.

“You can’t build a quarterback,” Kelly said. “We don’t have a scientific lab here where we can say we want a 6-foot-5 guy that’s 250 pounds and runs a 4.4 and can make every throw. You can’t do that.”

Kelly said he will build around the skill set of whatever quarterback the Raiders give him. They could chase a veteran in free agency like Russell Wilson, who won a Super Bowl in Seattle with Carroll, or Sam Darnold. The Raiders could also take a quarterback in the draft.

Ohio State starter Will Howard is expected to be a mid-round selection in this year’s class.

Not looking ahead

Kelly, after stepping down from his post at UCLA to become a coordinator, said he is not thinking about becoming a head coach again.

His record was 81-41 in college and 28-35 in the NFL. But he’s content if he stays an assistant moving forward.

“You got the cart way ahead of the horse,” Kelly said. “I’m really, really excited to be here with Pete. And I think anybody that tries to look too far down the road, you’re gonna get run over. You better make sure you concentrate on exactly what’s right in front of you. I don’t have to be a head coach again. That’s not a box I have to check off again. I just really enjoy coaching and I’m fired up to be around Pete.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.