Well, that didn’t take long.
Chip Kelly, the controversial former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles who was “released” earlier this month by the team, now has a new job: head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Niners general manager Jed York announced via his Twitter today that the team’s search, which had reportedly dwindled down to Kelly and former Broncos and Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, ended with Kelly being given the position.
After a thorough search, Trent & I are thrilled to announce Chip Kelly as the new #HeadCoach of the @49ers
— Jed York (@JedYork) January 14, 2016
Kelly went 21-26 in 3 seasons with the Eagles, and alienated members of the team’s front office in the process after forcing out key members of the team, like Desean Jackson and Lesean McCoy, for questionable reasons. Kelly will take over a 49ers team that’s been in a downward spiral since they lost Super Bowl XLVII to the Baltimore Ravens. The following year, 2013, they would lose in the NFC Championship, and over the past two seasons, the 49ers have been abysmal, winning just 13 games total after several years of dominance. The team has watched some of their best players walk away, including Frank Gore and Vernon Davis, and their perceived quarterback of the future, Colin Kaepernick, regress into a back-up role.
Needless to say, Kelly’s got his work cut out for him, and it’ll be interesting to see how he handles the team and his personnel this time around.
