The Philadelphia Eagles have fired coach Chip Kelly. The team made the official announcement on their website on Tuesday.
“We appreciate all the contributions that Chip Kelly made and wish him every success going forward,” Eagles CEO and chairman Jeffrey Lurie said.
Kelly went 6-9 in his third year with the Eagles. He was 26-21 overall in his career. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will serve as interim coach for the team's Week 17 game against the New York Giants.
The move brings an end to a tumultuous run in Philadelphia. Kelly went 10-6 in each of his first two seasons but failed to win a playoff game during his time, losing in the wild-card round in his first season.
But Lurie gave Kelly complete control over player personnel a year ago, and the coach's tenure has been marked by roster upheaval. Neither of his signature free agent signings, running back DeMarco Murray and cornerback Byron Maxwell, met expectations this season. He also traded running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso in the offseason. And newly acquired quarterback Sam Bradford also had an uneven first season in Philadelphia after arriving via trade.
The Eagles also released Ed Marynowitz, Kelly's pick for vice president of player personnel.
Kelly did not issue a statement but told Jay Glazer of Fox Sports he would like to stay in the NFL. That will certainly fuel rumors of him being a candidate in Tennessee and a reunion with QB Marcus Mariota. The two were together at the University of Oregon.
The team e-mailed the following letter from Lurie to season ticket holders:
"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.
Roseman was in charge of personnel before Lurie decided to give Kelly complete control last January.
On Monday, Kelly told reporters he wasn't worried about job security and even went as far to say he wasn't the general manager of the team.
"If it's not good enough, it's not good enough," he said. "But I'm going to continue to work as hard as I can and show up early in the morning and stay late at night and continue to work. But I don't think anybody in my situation would tell you they are worried about -- if they are worried about getting fired, they probably should already have been fired."
Source : shttp://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/eagles/2015/12/29/chip-kelly-fired-philadelphia/78044352/
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