UCLA Head Coach Chip Kelly Interviewed Twice With Raiders

Chip Kelly nearly left the Bruins behind but was replaced by USC's Kliff Kingsbury.

The UCLA Bruins shocked the college football world when they announced that they were retaining head coach Chip Kelly for the 2024 season. Despite many pundits and fans wanting the longtime coach gone, he was staying put. 

Despite being given the honor of welcoming the team to the Big Ten conference, there were rumblings that Kelly was instead favoring a move back to the NFL. Now, with the news that USC is hiring Kliff Kingsbury as their offensive coordinator, longtime NFL analyst Ian Rapoport announced Kelly was nearly going to leave UCLA behind. 

The #Raiders interviewed #UCLA coach Chip Kelly at least twice for their vacant OC job under Antonio Pierce, sources say. Kelly appeared open to a return to the NFL… but Pierce ultimate chose Kliff Kingsbury.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2024

Rapoport indicated that Kelly interviewed twice with the Las Vegas Raiders for their vacant offensive coordinator position. While Kelly would have been a solid hire for new head coach Antonio Pierce, he decided to go with the Bruins crosstown rivals. 

We have no idea what kind of tension Kelly nearly leaving will cause for his team in the upcoming season, but Kelly might be looked at in a much worse manner than he was before. 

Either way, the Bruins have a lot of new players and coaches, and they will need to band together to make their mark in the Big Ten conference.