Apparently, Oregon coach Chip Kelly did outgrow the small pond of Eugene. So to speak.
Ten days after it was reported by multiple media outlets that Kelly would be not be the new coach of the Philadelphia Eagles -- with Kelly’s own boss gushing over the coach’s honesty through the whole situation -- it appears Kelly has had a change of heart.
Per ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Kelly is the new coach of the Eagles. An announcement is TBD.Chip Kelly is the new coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, according to league sources. No announcement yet.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 16, 2013
NFL.com, Footballscoop.com and 247Sports are among the other outlets now reporting that Kelly will in fact be the coach of the Eagles. The Pac-12 Network’s Bryan Fischer reports that the deal came within the last 24 hours, meaning the Eagles made another run at Kelly after an unsuccessful coaching search.
Via Oregon’s Twitter page, Kelly informed the school he will in fact be the new coach of the Eagles.
Kelly had been linked to multiple NFL openings over the past month, including those with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. The fourth-year coach reportedly interviewed with those organizations after the Ducks’ Fiesta Bowl win over Kansas State earlier this month and was, at one point, even said to be close to inking a deal with the Browns.
Kelly is 46-7 in four years as head coach of the Ducks with four BCS bowl appearances. Oregon’s offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich is expected to be promoted to succeed Kelly.
Oregon will face the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions -- reportedly this spring -- as the program continues to deal with the fallout of the Willie Lyles recruiting scandal.
Updated 12:50 p.m. ET: The Eagles have announced that Kelly is the team’s new coach in a release.
“Chip Kelly will be an outstanding head coach for the Eagles,” said Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. “He has a brilliant football mind. He motivates his team with his actions as well as his words. He will be a great leader for us and will bring a fresh, energetic approach to our team.”