NFL Odds For Chip Kelly’s Replacements

With former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly ‘outta’ there like last year’, NFL odds bettors and fans across the globe want to know who the most likely candidates to replace Kelly in the City of Brotherly Shove are. Thanks to this expert look at the top six candidates to land in Philadelphia as Kelly’s successor, you’re going to have a great idea of who the Birds’ coach will be in 2016 and beyond. With that said and the 2016 NFL postseason set to get underway in a mere matter of days, let’s get started.

NFL Odds For Chip Kelly’s Replacements

1. Doug Pederson – Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator

The current Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator is my No. 1 choice to land the job in Philly for several reasons. First off, Pederson is a longtime Andy Reid assistant that spent four seasons as an offensive assistant in Philly from 2009 to 2012, so he’s quite familiar with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and the Birds’ rabid fan base. Pederson   also spent 10 years in the league as a quarterback including the 1999 season in Philadelphia. Seeing as how Pederson has helped Reid and the Chiefs make history this season, the timing certainly couldn’t be any better.

2. Adam Gase – Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator

The Bears offensive coordinator is one of the hottest head coaching candidates on the market base on his work with cry-baby Jay Cutler and prior work with the cerebral Peyton Manning. Philly will reportedly be in the hunt, along with Miami, and Cleveland among others.

3. Sean McDermott – Carolina Panthers Defensive Coordinator

Carolina defensive coordinator Sean McDermott has helped the Panthers become one of the most suffocating defenses in all of football. McDermott also has ties to the Eagles and Lurie. McDermott grew up in the Philly area and went to La Salle High School in Springfield before landing with the Eagles in 1998 as an intern in the scouting department. McDermott would eventually rise all the way to defensive coordinator where he held the position for two years.

4. Hue Jackson – Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Coordinator

The Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator is one of the more popular names going right now and his reputation as a players’ coach certainly helps Lurie in his search for the anti-Chip Kelly. Jackson led the Oakland Raiders to an 8-8 record in 2011 before getting fired after his first year on the job.

5. Kevin Sumlin – Texas A&M Head Coach

The Eagles reportedly offered Sumlin a head coaching job back in 2013, so I suspect that Lurie is still at least intrigued with the Texas A&M head coach. Sumlin is 36-15 since taking over Texas A&M in 2012 and certainly isn’t the worst name being thrown around at this point, though he’s certainly not the favorite either.

6. Pat Shurmur – Eagles Offensive Coordinator – Interim Head Coach

Eagles’ offensive coordinator and interim head coach Pat Shurmur has coached under both Chip Kelly and Andy Reid and was formerly a head coach in Cleveland in 2011-12. Shurmur is in the mix and recently said, “I’ve sort of looked at every day of my life as an audition.”

Honorable Mention

Duce Staley – Philadelphia Eagles Running Backs Coach

Eagles’ owner Jeffrey Lurie did a smart thing by making Staley his first coaching interview, even though it’s a virtual certainty that the former Eagles running back and current running backs coach won’t get the position. Staley began his career as a coaching intern in 2010 and has been in his current position since 2013. If Staley ever becomes an offensive coordinator, then he’ll have a better shot at landing a head coaching position,  but that a few years off at the very least.

Greg Roman – Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator

Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman is widely respected throughout the NFL and could have a shot. Then again, if you saw the Bills this season…

David Shaw – Stanford Head Coach

Stanford coach David Shaw has done a fantastic job at Stanford and was once a member of Ray Rhodes’ 1997 Eagles staff. Stanford went 12-2 this season as Shaw improved to a stellar 54-14 since taking over at the ‘Tree’ in 2011.

Jim Mora – UCLA Head Coach

Mora has plenty of experience having been the head coach with both, the Atlanta Falcons (2004-06) and Seattle Seahawks (2009) as well as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator (1999-2003). Mora has gone 37-16 in four seasons at UCLA.

Sean Payton – New Orleans Saints Head Coach

My super knowledgeable sports guru of a brother Brandon Eric Williams says that if Payton decides to leave New Orleans, he’s the No. 1 guy for the job in Philly. Of course, right now, all signs are pointing toward Payton and Drew Brees both returning to the Saints for 2016 and beyond, Then again…you just never know these days!

Final Thoughts

I do know one thing…and that’s that, whoever lands the job in Philadelphia is going to have to be a great team leader – or should I say once again, the ‘anti-mutiny-causing’ Chip Kelly. “We’re looking for the best leader,” Lurie said. “I’ve looked carefully at coaches around the league and where they come from, and I don’t think there’s any clear evidence of offense over defense or defense over offense. It comes down to the leadership ability with today’s athlete and today’s world. It’s different than it was a long time ago.”