Rumors of Chip Kelly's potential departure from the Philadelphia Eagles - and quite possibly the NFL - have reportedly made their way into the Eagles' facility at One Novacare Way and, more importantly, into the locker room, where they seem to have set up residence.
"From what we're told, the USC rumors were swirling within the building and more specifically, the Eagles locker room," Tim McManus of Philly Mag reported midday Monday. "Some feel that the uncertainty about their head coach's future is part of the problem."
Kelly's Eagles are reeling, highlighted by a nationally televised Thanksgiving day loss to the Detroit Lions that saw his team trounced by a deeply flawed Lions team dealing with their own issues. The volume on talk that Kelly could potentially leave Philly has increased in recent weeks as the Eagles followed a potentially season-altering overtime victory over the NFC East-rival Dallas Cowboys with three straight losses at the hands of the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Lions - all teams with losing records, all teams nearly everyone in and around the NFL expected the Eagles to beat handily.
While talk of Chip potentially heading to USC will dim thanks to the announcement of Clay Helton being made the "permanent" head coach of the Trojans, reports that Chip met with USC likely won't set well with Eagles players or fans. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported on Monday that Kelly and USC "touched base" at some point in the days before naming Helton the guy.
This all comes about a week after ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested that he'd been hearing rumblings that Kelly may be sick of the "situation" and could potentially be comfortable elsewhere.
At his Monday press conference, Kelly was adamant that he'd neither spoken with or met with USC officials and that he is and has been "totally committed" to the Eagles since taking the job three years ago. He also admitted that the rumors of his potential return to college likely has been affecting and distracting the team.
ChipLIVE: i can't control what's written with other schools- been totally committed since I got here
— Michael Barkann (@MBarkannCSN) November 30, 2015
Chip Kelly: I've had no contact with USC or any college. I wasn't in Philly on Friday, so report that I met with SC isn't true. — Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) November 30, 2015
Kelly, after taking the NFL by storm with his innovative ideas and breakneck pace, has seen his team steadily decline each season, led by an offense that went from eight in the league in points per drive in 2013 to 24th through week 12 of the 2015 NFL season, as noted by Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice.
In his first season as Philly GM, a number of Kelly's personnel decisions have come under fire as well. Sam Bradford, though he has improved, hasn't played like a franchise quarterback. Last year's leading rusher in the NFL, DeMarco Murray, has provided middling output after signing a lucrative free agent deal, and Kiko Alonso, acquired in a trade for LeSean McCoy in the offseason, has made little impact.
A number of other players - Miles Austin, Riley Cooper, Jason Peters - have struggled either with injuries or ineffectiveness as well.
Overall, it seems to be developing into a lost season for the Eagles. Whether it results in Chip's offseason departure remains to be seen.
But there's no denying that the Eagles can't just think of next season - they have to plan long-term. And if Chip, whose contract expires after 2016, isn't going to be here well into the future then should the Eagles, inching closer to a top-5 or top-10 draft pick and a shot at one of the top signal-callers set to be available in the spring, keep a coach and personnel man who may not be around to coach said quarterback?
