Report: Seahawks interview UCLA coach Chip Kelly for OC job

Could the Seahawks’ search for an offensive coordinator to join the staff of new head coach Mike Macdonald lead them to Chip Kelly?

According to a report Tuesday night from The Ringer it just might.

The Ringer reported that Kelly — the former Oregon, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers head coach who is currently the head coach at UCLA — interviewed with the Seahawks Tuesday night, stating that “the Seahawks have had rumored interest in his offense for much of this (coaching) cycle.”

Kelly just finished his sixth season at UCLA where he is 35-34 and received a two-year contract extension in March that runs through the 2027 season.

But Kelly has been reportedly seeking out opportunities to get back into the NFL and reportedly had an interview for the Raiders’ OC job and also was thought to have been a consideration by Washington and new coach Dan Quinn. Each hired other coordinators.

In fact, only the Seahawks and New Orleans Saints are without OCs. And New Orleans is thought set on hiring 49ers passing-game coordinator Klint Kubiak as its new OC.

A league source earlier confirmed that former UW offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is under consideration for Seattle’s OC job, and Detroit passing-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand has also been linked to the job.

The Seahawks also were thought to be hoping to interview Giants OC Mike Kafka for the job after interviewing him twice for the head-coaching job. But the Giants reportedly blocked Seattle’s attempt to speak to Kafka, which they can do via NRL rules with it considered a lateral move.

Kelly, who turned 60 in November, came to prominence during a four-year run as Oregon’s head coach from 2009-12 in which the Ducks went 46-7 and advanced to the 2010 national title game.

Kelly then ran an up-tempo spread offense called the “blur” that featured ample quarterback running.

He was then hired as the head coach of the Eagles in 2013 and his offense initially was a success as Philly ranked in the top five in both points and yards in 2013 and 2014. The Eagles went 10-6 both seasons and won the NFC East in 2013.

But Kelly was fired late in the 2015 season with the Eagles at 6-9.

He then was hired by the 49ers but was fired after San Francisco went 2-14 in 2016. After a year out of coaching he returned to the sidelines with UCLA in 2018.

UCLA went 8-5 this season, and while the Bruins beat rival USC, the season was considered a disappointment.

The Bruins are among four Pac-12 teams heading to the Big Ten after this season and Kelly has been outspoken in indicating he is not totally on board with much of the recent changes in college sports, saying in December that football should be separated from other sports and that there should be essentially revenue sharing.

A report from Pro Football Talk last week stated that “it’s clear he (Kelly) wants back in (the NFL). And it’s obvious he’s the one pursuing the opportunities, not vice versa.”

Kelly’s only NFL experience is his four years as a head coach as he worked at New Hampshire from 1994-2006 in a variety of offensive roles before taking over as Oregon’s OC in 2007 and then ascending to head coach two years later.

While the names of Grubb and Engstrand surfaced last week after Macdonald was officially introduced as Seattle’s new head coach on Thursday, there have been no further reports since. An SI.com report stated that Seattle had requested an interview with Engstrand, who has been Detroit’s passing game coordinator the past two years, and a source said of Grubb that he was under consideration. But there has been no report since then of an interview with Grubb.

Macdonald said during his introductory press conference that finding a coordinator with previous NFL play-calling experience was “not near the top of the list” of priorities.

“We’re looking for the right person to come in here and build this thing, so we want somebody that’s open-minded, that has a growth mindset, that can connect with their players, and build a system that’s unique to the Seattle Seahawks that’s going to live here for a long time and who’s going to be the one spearheading it,” Macdonald said.

Seattle has yet to make a known hire to its offensive coaching staff since Macdonald was hired. Seattle has made several additions to its overall staff, including former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier to an assistant head coaching role.