Chip Kelly's circle of confidants has always been small, but within that group there was a sense that this, for sure, was the year the offensively innovative coach would leave the University of Oregon for the NFL.
It was a matter of the proper fit – control and comfort.
With eight league jobs open, one would almost certainly make sense. Then, after a slew of rushed interviews in the wake of a Fiesta Bowl victory, including a nine-hour session with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kelly, in trademark speed, decided none did.
He "returned" to Oregon, although the school never issued a statement concerning it and Kelly said little to nothing about it. His NFL interest never waned, according to sources, and when the Eagles reached out again this week after fellow college coach Brian Kelly of Notre Dame turned them down, the dialogue resumed.
Wednesday it all came back around, Kelly agreeing to terms with the Eagles after all, a surprising and sudden change of course for a man
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