Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles CEO says Chip Kelly didn't push to keep coaching job

Published Dec. 30, 2015 1:13 p.m. ET

foxsports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Chip Kelly didn't push to stay on as Eagles coach in his final meeting with team CEO Jeffrey Lurie, Lurie said Wednesday.

Lurie told reporters it was clear during the Tuesday meeting that his mind was made up and Kelly knew he was being let go.

''It was a clear and important decision that had to be made,'' he said.

Lurie says he decided to fire Kelly before the end of the season to get a jump start on a coaching search and meet with players to talk to them about the decision. He said he met with players as a group on Wednesday and had smaller meetings planned with them later in the day.

The extra six days is important given the chaos of hiring football coaches, he said.

Kelly was fired after missing the playoffs for the second straight season and failing in his first year in charge of personnel. The Eagles entered the season with Super Bowl expectations, but are 6-9.

Lurie says he fired Kelly based one an assessment of the last three years, not a string of recent losses.

''It was more the lack of progress and the trajectory where we were going,'' he said.

Kelly gained full control of personnel decisions last offseason, then tore apart a winning team and made several bold moves that backfired.

Since March 2014, Kelly released three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson, traded two-time All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy, didn't re-sign 2014 Pro Bowl wideout Jeremy Maclin, cut two-time Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis and traded quarterback Nick Foles and a 2016 second-round draft pick for Sam Bradford.

He also gave big money in free agency to running back DeMarco Murray and cornerback Byron Maxwell. Murray has been a bust and Maxwell has underperformed. Kelly even signed Tim Tebow, but released him after he won the competition for the No. 3 quarterback job.

Philadelphia missed the postseason in 2014 following a 9-3 start and were 7-12 in Kelly's last 19 games.

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