Okay, now the Carolina Panthers are cookin’. Kudos to head coach Matt Rhule for finally targeting that rockstar offensive coordinator in Chip . . . oh.
Sorry, folks. Just looked at my calendar and it turns out it isn’t 2013.
In an intriguing addition to Carolina’s search for a new play-caller, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported on Tuesday that Rhule has “sent some feelers” out for UCLA Bruins head coach Chip Kelly.
Matt Rhule looking for experience in the #Panthers’ next offensive coordinator. Sources say Rhule also sent some feelers Chip Kelly’s way (not sure if he officially interviewed) before Kelly re-upped to stay at UCLA. https://t.co/AybpQj4wL3
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 18, 2022
Kelly, of course, has the experience Rhule is coveting. After serving as the offensive coordinator for the University of Oregon from 2007 to 2008, he was promoted to head coach starting in 2009.
Over his four-year stint at the helm in Eugene, Kelly led his high-octane Ducks to a combined 46-7 record with a BCS Championship appearance in 2010 (against Cam Newton’s victorious Auburn Tigers).
He then made a much-publicized jump to the NFL as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. But his three years there, along with a one-year stop as the man in San Francisco, resulted in a 28-35 mark in the pros and a ticket back to the college ranks.
Coincidentally, there could be another one of those tickets readily available for another certain coach if the Panthers go further south in 2022.
