The NFL coaching carousel stopped twice on Wednesday when Chip Kelly reversed his decision to stay at Oregon and take over for the Philadelphia Eagles and Marc Trestman bolted the Canadian Football League to coach the Chicago Bears.
Kelly had said he would return to Oregon, where he was 46-7 in five years, with an explosive offense centered around speed and creativity. But after a vacation, he reversed himself.
Kelly, who also interviewed with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills, will be introduced at a news conference Thursday at 1:30 p.m. EST at the Eagles’ practice facility.
“Chip Kelly will be an outstanding head coach for the Eagles,” owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. “He has a brilliant football mind. He motivates his team with his actions as well as his words. He will be a great leader for us and will bring a fresh, energetic approach to our team.”
Trestman, who was head coach of the Montreal Alouettes, is considered the ultimate quarterbacks coach. He works in the offseason preparing quarterbacks for the NFL draft and will continue in that role as coach of the Bears.
He has worked with various NFL teams as an assistant coach, but has not been in the league in eight years. He did, however, work with Chicago’s current quarterbacks in their respective drafts, Jay Cutler and Jason Campbell.
Cutler was ecstatic Wednesday that Trestman will be his new coach. “You could just tell how knowledgeable he was about the quarterback position and offense in general,” he said according to the team’s website. “It’s a great hire. I couldn’t be more excited. He’s been successful wherever he’s been.”
Trestman will bring in former Saints interim head coach Aaron Kromer as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, a league source told ESPN.
Meanwhile, Lovie Smith, who was fired by the Bears, remains out of work.
