There’s one game left in the 2015 NFL season, but the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t want to wait until the end of the year to fire head coach Chip Kelly. According to a press release sent out by the team, Kelly has been “released” by Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie. This comes just three days after the Eagles fell at home to the Washington Redskins, 38-24, to give the team a 6-9 record on the season. According to the release, Kelly will be replaced in the interim by offensive coordinator and former Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur.
Kelly came to Philadelphia in 2013 after a wildly successful tenure as the head coach at Oregon, guiding the team to a 10-6 record and an NFC East crown in his first season. Philly made the playoffs, but fell in its Wild Card game against New Orleans. While the team went 10-6 the following year, it wasn’t able to make the playoffs. The wheels kind of came off the team in 2015, as some issues in the locker room led to a subpar showing on the field. Philadelphia was especially poor on the defensive side of the ball, as the team is 28th in the league in points allowed per game and 30th in yards allowed per game.
Shurmur will coach the team on Sunday against the New York Giants. As for Kelly, the demand for him will probably be high among NFL and college teams with head coaching vacancies.
