Chip Kelly Becomes Highest-Paid NFL Offensive Coordinator With Las Vegas Raiders

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has accepted the Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator role under new coach Pete Carroll. According to league sources, the deal is reported at six million dollars annually, which would make Kelly the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL.

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly leads warm ups prior to the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have announced that former Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has accepted the offensive coordinator role under newly hired coach Pete Carroll. According to league sources, the deal is reported at six million dollars annually, which is triple the yearly salary he was due with the Buckeyes.

Kelly is returning to the NFL for the second time. He was previously the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers, holding a 28-35 record combined in both stints. 

Former USC Trojans coach Pete Carroll has plenty of familiarity with Chip Kelly as the two once coached against each other in the PAC-10 conference when Kelly led the Oregon Ducks. While the two former foes now unite, there’s also an interesting dynamic as they will both take on another familiar face together, former Stanford Cardinal coach turned Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. 

According to The Athletics’s Tashan Reed, Kelly was broached for the position under the Antonio Pierce regime that lasted just one season. Kelly helped lead Ohio State University to a 14-2 record and the College Football Playoff title this past season in Colombus. The development of quarterback Will Howard, who is now widely considered a day-two draft prospect is largely credited to Kelly’s acumen. 

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The loss of Kelly signals a major shift for the Ohio State Buckeyes who also lost their defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. In a recent FOX interview with Joel Klatt, Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke about Chip Kelly, who was his mentor, and the relationship that aligned the two at the perfect time. 

“We talked about it, the fact that we had a really good group here and you know, the dream would be to win a national championship, and then he decides whether he wants to stay or have an opportunity to go to the NFL, and it's exactly what happened….To be able to have a beer in a few years and talk about the year that we had together is going to be special, because we all started together and this is where I started, with him. And we went and did that. And what a great story,” Day  said. 

Pete Carroll is the next coach to turn to Chip Kelly for some of that Midas touch on the offensive side of the ball. The Raiders, while still clearly needing a quarterback, are not a team bereft of talented players. The offensive line improved throughout the season with players like stalwart Kolton Miller. They also have what some already consider the best tight end in the NFL with second-year start Brock Bowers and a proven veteran receiver in Jakobi Meyers. 

The roster undoubtedly needs upgrades, but the Raiders are headed in the right direction and Chip Kelly is one of the more trusted names in the sport. 

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