Chip Kelly "Not Eyeing Return to College," Report Claims, but Why Believe It?

Last week, Chip Kelly invited longtime “friend” Phil Knight to the sideline. Knight is also the biggest booster at Oregon, and the Ducks are floundering at 3-6 this year. They’ll probably be in the market for a coach at season’s end.

Chip Kelly is the best coach in the program’s history and his 49ers are one of the biggest dumpster fires in the NFL. One could argue that the 49ers are worst than the winless Browns, and have the least-talented roster in the NFL.

So Chip Kelly might bolt after one year, right?

Naturally, here comes “sources” with a perfectly-timed report:

"Sources close to Chip Kelly have told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the San Francisco 49ers head coach is not just paying lip service to the idea that he isn’t interested to returning to his former Oregon coaching job or any college job, despite speculation to the contrary. They say Kelly is staying with San Francisco, through the thick and thins of this challenging season. Colleges that privately have made overtures to Kelly’s representatives have been told in no uncertain terms that Kelly is not interested in going back to school."

Obviously Kelly wants to succeed in NFL after an ugly ending in Philly. But what if the right college hasn’t called? What if the right number hasn’t been presented to him? It just feels way too premature for this level of “not interested.”

I’d mention Bobby Petrino and the Falcons and Nick Saban and the Dolphins, but you already knew about those.

The 49ers are at least a couple years away from being a .500 team, much less contending for a playoff spot. He could turn Oregon around with a couple key signings. USC and UCLA are no longer juggernauts, Stanford is struggling, and the Washingtons are currently the best in the conference.

Why should Chip Kelly stay in the NFL?