Chip Kelly’s Surprise Coaching Shake-Up Rocks UCLA—Here’s How It Could Change the 2025 College Football Landscape

Chip Kelly’s second act in the NFL officially begins Sunday when the Las Vegas Raiders host the New England Patriots in their 2025 opener, capping an eight-month whirlwind that saw the former Oregon and Eagles head coach jump from Ohio State to the desert. Hired on February 4 as offensive coordinator under newly minted head coach Pete Carroll, Kelly was tasked with reviving a unit that finished 29th in scoring last year—its worst mark since the franchise relocated to Las Vegas. This week Kelly offered a glimpse of how that rebuild took shape behind the scenes, revealing that Carroll personally pounded the table for fourth-round wideout Dont’e Thornton Jr.—a 6-5 burner whose vertical speed unlocked countless play-action shots in Kelly’s spring install. “Pete was the guy that kind of fell in love with him on tape,” Kelly told reporters, adding that Thornton’s length-speed combo is “something you just can’t coach”. Thornton’s path to immediate snaps widened when veteran Amari Cooper abruptly retired Thursday, leaving the X-receiver spot wide open. The rookie’s 4.37-second forty and 11-foot broad jump make him a perfect fit for Kelly’s trademark tempo offense, which still features inside-zone runs and rapid-fire RPOs but now sprinkles in more deep crossers to exploit single-high looks opponents use to stop the run. Early returns from training camp were promising: Las Vegas averaged 27.4 points in three preseason games, and beat writers noted that the first-team offense routinely snapped the ball with 22-24 seconds left on the play clock—nearly double last year’s pace. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, entering his second season, called the scheme “simpler to execute but tougher to defend” because “we can flip the formation and go before the defense even lines up.” Kelly’s reunion with Carroll has also streamlined game-planning. Whereas Kelly once clashed with NFL personnel departments in Philadelphia and San Francisco, he now works hand-in-glove with a coach who shares his aggressive fourth-down philosophy and practice-field efficiency. “We both believe players learn best by doing,” Carroll said, noting that the Raiders have shaved almost 25% of walk-through time compared with last year. Sunday’s matchup against Bill Belichick’s Patriots will test whether the offseason hype translates when the bullets are live. If Thornton stretches the field the way coaches expect, and Kelly’s warp-speed sequencing keeps New England’s multiple fronts on their heels, the Raiders could emerge as one of 2025’s surprise offenses—and Kelly could cement the redemption arc he’s chased since leaving the NFL in 2016.