National Football League

Notre Dame Football: Is Chip Kelly Headed to South Bend?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:03 a.m. ET

Fansided, Noah Strackbein/FanSided via Slap the Sign

After being fired in San Francisco, is Chip Kelly headed to Notre Dame football to take over for another Kelly?

After an embarrassing 4-8 season, most Notre Dame football fans believe Brian Kelly’s time in South Bend should come to and end. At this point, Fighting Irish fans may not even care who the next head coach is, as long as Kelly is out.

Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but with the amount of quality coaches floating around this offseason, fans want a change.

In the NFL, former San Francisco 49ers head coach, Chip Kelly, only lasted one season before being fired from the 49ers organization. After four seasons in the NFL, it looks like Chip Kelly’s professional career has come to an end. Posting a 2-14 record in one season with the 49ers, it isn’t likely another NFL team will give Chip Kelly another chance.

BREAKING: @49ers announce they have fired Head Coach Chip Kelly and GM Trent Baalke. pic.twitter.com/9nWSqQSfQv

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 2, 2017

So, how does this affect Notre Dame? Well, for starters, it opens up yet another coaching job for Brian Kelly to take. Each offseason, reports are flying around of Brian Kelly searching for new jobs.

In 2013, before Chip Kelly got the job as the Philadelphia Eagle’s head coach, Brian Kelly was in the running. After being blown out in the National Championship, Brian Kelly proved he wasn’t as loyal to Notre Dame as the Irish hoped.

Once the Fighting Irish began to underperform, coaching jobs for Brian Kelly weren’t as open and things stayed pretty quiet. That all ended once Notre Dame finished 4-8 and not even 48 hours later there were reports of the Irish’s coach searching for a new gig.

Brian Kelly’s reps exploring options w/other schools about possibility of leaving Notre Dame, source told @ESPN. 1st reported by @YahooForde

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) November 27, 2016

Most recently, the rumors say that Brian Kelly could be headed to the NFL. With vacant head coach positions in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Jacksonville, and Denver, Brian Kelly’s chances in the NFL are higher than ever.

It’s no secret Notre Dame’s coach wants his chance in the pros. With so many open positions, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Brian Kelly leaves South Bend for a shot in the NFL. Outside of Denver, there’s no position available more promising than the Notre Dame head coaching job. But, if Brian Kelly wants to leave, then let him go.

If Brian Kelly leaves, the Irish job will have one name circled in bright red – Chip Kelly. Notre Dame athletic director, Jack Swarbrick seems to be the only one who still believes Brian Kelly is worth a shot. If Brian Kelly doesn’t head to the NFL this offseason, it’ll take at least another yet before Swarbrick might realize it’s time for a change.

Chip Kelly isn’t likely to sit around for a year waiting for Notre Dame to smarten up. If he’s headed to South Bend, it’ll be because Brian Kelly goes pro. But, as we all know, that could very well happen looking at Brian Kelly’s track record.