Every time a college job opens up, the speculation begins.
And every time the speculation begins, Chip Kelly quashes it.
Kelly, as he did in 2013 and again last year, on Thursday said he has no intention of leaving his job as head coach of the Eagles to return to college coaching.
Kelly, the ultra-successful head coach of Oregon for four years before becoming head coach of the Eagles, is always rumored to be a candidate for every available major college opening, including current openings those at Maryland, USC and South Carolina.
He has always steadfastly maintained that he is not interested in returning to college and plans to remain with the Eagles.
He reiterated that Thursday and said he has not been contacted by USC.
“I hope some day to be like coach (Tom) Coughlin and win enough games where I can stay around long enough where that speculation ends,” Kelly said.
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“But I understand you have to ask the question. I answered it the same way a year ago, I answered it the same way my first year. It’s an unfortunate part of the game.”
The Maryland job opened up when Randy Edsall was fired on Sunday. The USC job opened when Steve Sarkisian was fired on Tuesday amid reports that he was coaching while intoxicted. The South Carolina job opened when Steve Spurrier resigned on Monday.
Kelly said his only thought on those jobs is for Sarkisian, who coached against Kelly from 2009 through 2012, when Sarkisian was at Washington and Kelly at Oregon.
“The other part of it is there are people who have lost their jobs,” Kelly said before practice Thursday. “A friend of mine, Steve Sarkisian, is dealing with a big issue right now and I wish him the best. That’s how I view that situation.”
Kelly said he understands that the speculation is going to occur every time a major college job is available.
Kelly was 46–7 in four years in Eugene, 36-4 his last three years. He’s 22-15 so far with the Eagles without a playoff win.
“I understand it’s going to happen,” he said. “We’re not successful and we’re not winning, I came from college, I’m going to go back to college.”
Asked if all the speculation is a distraction to his team, which faces the Giants Monday night in a nationally televised game at the Linc for first place in the NFC East, Kelly shot back.
“My players couldn’t care less,” he said. “Ask them. I don’t think Jason Kelce is really concerned that my name came up with a college. He’s concerned with going against [Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s] defense, which is first and foremost on our team’s minds right now.”
Kelly hates answering these questions, but they’re never going to stop.
“Yeah, just keep asking questions like that at the press conference, it’ll be over quicker,” he said. “What do you want to talk about? Let’s talk about another college. You’ve got 10 minutes. Let’s talk about North Texas.”
Then, he added: “North Texas State? The Armadillos or whatever.”
That was a reference to the Texas State Armadillos, the fictional college team made famous in 1991 football comedy Necessary Roughness.
Leave it to Chip to throw in a reference to a 24-year-old Sinbad movie in the middle of a discussion about his coaching future.