It’s Finally Over! Eagles Hire Chip Kelly

Nearly two weeks after first courting Oregon coach Chip Kelly (and after nearly two weeks of thinking Chip Kelly had rejected the Eagles), Lurie and co. have brought the Duck to Philly.

Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman and Don Smolenski took their best shot at Kelly back on January 5, as a scheduled lunch spilled well into the night and lasted some eight hours. Oregon booster and Nike co-founder Phil Knight reportedly made a strong push to keep Kelly with the Ducks, and it looked like it had worked. Not so fast.

“Chip Kelly will be an outstanding head coach for the Eagles,” said Lurie, as the Eagles made the move official. “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.”

This will be Kelly’s first head coaching job in the NFL.

Let the media narrative shift immediately from “Why Won’t Chip Kelly Coach in Philly?” to “Is Chip Kelly Any Good?” [Birds 24/7]