Niner Noise
FanSided

5 Pros and 5 Cons of Head Coach Chip Kelly Leaving the San Francisco 49ers

By Peter Panacy

Chip Kelly before an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Chip Kelly before an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 11
Next

San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly apparently wants to stick around with his current 1-7 franchise after the 2016 NFL season is finished. But what are the pros and cons of a potential departure?

49ers
Oct 16, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly watches play during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. Buffalo beat San Francisco 45-16. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports /

The more the San Francisco 49ers lose in 2016, the greater the speculation will be about head coach Chip Kelly looking for employment elsewhere next season.

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Kelly’s first two years at the NFL level are a distant memory now, and his pro-level reputation is marked by what happened with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 and now the mess of a situation in Santa Clara.

So it makes sense for rumors to abound about a possible departure. Just ask CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora.

“I haven’t talked to a college since I’ve been in the NFL and that’s not my goal,” Kelly said, via Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, earlier this month. “My goal is to be the head coach of the 49ers and that’s where I want to be. I don’t know why… it surprises me that that continues to be a new story. It’s been the same story since I left four years ago.”

Of course, this could be just smoke-and-mirrors talk. Would anyone realistically expect Kelly to say, “I’d rather be back at the college level” right now?

It might also be a ploy to drive up the asking price if, let’s say, a program like Kelly’s former employer, the University of Oregon, came calling.

Who knows?

But let’s evaluate the positives and negatives surrounding a possible Kelly departure — via firing or on his own will — after this dreadful season is finished.