Eagles Fire Chip Kelly

Update:

Former Eagles HC Chip Kelly released a statement regarding the team’s decision to part ways with him on Tuesday, per Mike Garafolo.

“I’m grateful to Jeffrey Lurie for allowing me to coach his Philadelphia Eagles for the past three seasons. I deeply regret that we did not bring this great city and its fans the championship they deserve. I was blessed to work with a gifted and hard-working coaching staff every day, and they will succeed wherever they go. Finally, my players mean the world to me. I will miss them very much and I will be rooting for them to achieve their dreams. Life is all about responding to challenges and seizing opportunities.”

———–

Jay Glazer spoke to Chip Kelly following the Eagles’ decision to fire him Tuesday night.

Kelly said that he’s disappointed with how it ended in Philadelphia, and added that he knows it’s a results-oriented business.

According to Glazer, Kelly insisted that he wants to remain in the NFL, and not return to a college position.

Regarding how things went down with owner Jeffery Lurie, Kelly said that he was pulled into meeting with Lurie, but elected to not fight the team’s decision to move on.

———–

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Tuesday that they’ve fired HC Chip Kelly after three seasons with the team.

“We appreciate all the contributions that Chip Kelly made and wish him every success going forward,” said owner Jeffery Lurie.

Here’s the letter sent by Lurie regarding the move:

I have made a decision to release Chip Kelly this evening. I spent the last three seasons evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team. As I watched this season unfold, I determined that it was time to make a change.

As we move forward, the search for a new head coach will begin and will be led by myself, Don Smolenski and Howie Roseman. To the extent that we are able, we will try to keep you informed as we go through this process.

Pat Shurmur will be our interim coach for the Giants game Sunday.

We have also released Ed Marynowitz, vice president of player personnel. Tom Donahoe, who has been our senior football advisor since 2012, will assume the role of senior director of player personnel.

I am determined and excited to select a new coach to help us obtain our ultimate goal.

Thank you for your consistent and enthusiastic support. It is always appreciated.

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will be interim head coach for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

The Eagles also parted ways with vice president of player personnel Ed Marynowitz.

It’s Jeff McLane’s understanding that Howie Roseman will return to his previous position as head of the Eagles’ personnel department.

Philadelphia also announced that Tom Donahoe, former GM of the Buffalo Bills and director of football operations for the Pittsburgh Steelers and senior football advisor for the Eagles since 2012, will assume the role of senior director of player personnel.

Last we heard, Kelly was expected to be back next season, even after a disappointing 2015 season. However, it appears as though this season was disappointing enough for them to move in a new direction.

Kelly had two years remaining on his contract worth at least $13 million, according to Adam Caplan.

It will be interesting to see who the Eagles bring in as their next head coach now that Kelly has shaped their roster to fit his specific system.

Now that Kelly is available, you would have to think the Titans would be interested in re-uniting him with QB Marcus Mariota. That’s purely speculation on my part, but it can’t be ruled out at this point in time.

Since taking the Eagles’ head-coaching job back in 2013, Kelly has led them to a record of 26-21 (553. percent) including two 10-6 seasons and a playoff appearance.