Report: Dan Quinn has three offensive coordinator candidates, and one is Chip Kelly

Jay Glazer is one of the most reliable reporters in the business, so when he drops something that sounds outlandish, you’re still legally obligated to listen. Yes, I said legally.

Kelly flamed out in Philadelphia because he attained personnel control and screwed up pretty badly, and in San Francisco because he wasn’t really given a fair shake by one of the worst ownership groups in sports whilst presiding over one of the league’s worst rosters. At this point, it’s evident he’s not going to get another head coaching gig for a while, if ever, so he needs to find a place to rehabilitate his value as an offensive coordinator or head back to the college ranks. There may be no finer landing place than Atlanta, and it appears he’s in the running.

I hadn’t heard any noise about external candidates up until this point, so my working assumption was that the Falcons would attempt to fill the void left by Shanahan’s departure with someone on the inside. For all his obvious undesirable qualities as a coach, Kelly has a reputation for offensive aptitude that is deserved—I was able to watch him work at my alma mater, the University of New Hampshire, and he was doing impressive work with I-AA players. His work in Oregon and with the Eagles was very good, as well, when it came to offense. If Quinn and company don’t think they have a logical replacement in-house—and I’m kind of relieved to learn they don’t think that—then Kelly should logically be on that list.

We’re not sure who the other two candidates are just yet, but I’m sure those names will leak out. File this news away for later and enjoy the game!