Report: Brian Kelly Turns Down Eagles

Here’s the Eagles statement provided by Adam Caplan regarding Brian Kelly’s decision to stay at Notre Dame.

“There is no question we spent a considerable amount of time and effort looking at who we thought were the best collegiate candidates for our head coaching job. We did so knowing that there was a remote chance that these coaches would leave their current posts. We understood that going into the process, but we wanted to leave no stone unturned while trying to find the best head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. We have no regrets about the effort we made in that direction and we will continue to proceed as planned in our search.”

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Pete Thamel of SI.com reports that Brian Kelly will return to Notre Dame next year.

BREAKING: Brian Kelly is staying at Notre Dame, official source confirms.

— Pete Thamel(@SIPeteThamel) January 12, 2013

“This week I had an incredible opportunity to speak with one of the premier organizations in sports about becoming their head coach…I have had thoughts about being part of the NFL… I have decided to stay at Notre Dame,” said Kelly, per John Clark of NBC 10.

Philadelphia has already met with Seattle DC Gus Bradley and is scheduled to interview Bengals OC Jay Gruden on Monday and Colts OC Bruce Arians on Tuesday.

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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that a source with knowledge of the situation has informed him that the Eagles have Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly as the team’s primary candidate for the head coaching vacancy.

Despite a vast number of candidates that have been interviewed, the source mentioned that “there’s a sense that they won’t quite know where to turn next” if he decides to stay in South Bend.

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Philadelphia Eagles will interview Seattle DC Gus Bradley Saturday for their head coaching vacancy.

Schefter added that talks are expected to commence between the Eagles and Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly at some point in the near future.

Bengals OC Jay Gruden will also interview for the job on Monday.

Bradley, who arrived in Seattle back in 2009, currently boasts a defense that is ranked No. 4 in the league and averages only 15.3 points allowed per game this season. Bradley met with the Chargers recently has reportedly been an impressive candidate, but there’s still a chance he could elect to stay in Seattle instead of taking a job with one of the interested teams.

The odds are that Kelly stays in South Bend, but Schefter has repeatedly mentioned that he has genuine interest in the Eagles’ job.

Colts OC Bruce Arians will interview for the job on Tuesday, according to Mike Chappell.