The Las Vegas Raiders hired one of Jim Harbaugh's biggest rivals, Pete Carroll, to be the team's next head coach. To follow that move, the Raiders have hired someone who tried (and failed) to salvage the San Francisco 49ers two years after the LA Chargers head coach left the team a decade ago.
After re-signing defensive coordinator Aaron Graham despite underwhelming results, the Raiders have hired former 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly to be the team's offensive coordinator.
While Kelly is a recognizable name coming off a National Championship with Ohio State, this is not a hire that Chargers fans should be particularly worried about.
Chargers fans shouldn't worry about the Raiders hiring Chip Kelly
The Raiders have made it part of their identity in recent years to hire notable coaches only for them to fall on their face in Las Vegas. From Jon Gruden to Josh McDaniels, these swings don't ever seem to work out for the Raiders like they think it will.
Just because Kelly is a recognizable name does not make him a great coach to hire. Kelly's track record, especially in the NFL, should have been very worrisome for a Raiders team that doesn't currently know who its starting quarterback is.
Kelly's stock is probably the highest it has been since he was head coach at Oregon thanks to Ohio State's National Championship run. While Kelly absolutely deserves some credit for that run, it's also worth noting how much talent that Ohio State offense had compared to the teams it was playing.
It was not that long ago that Kelly's offense was held to just 10 points against rival Michigan, leading many to dissect how unprepared Kelly and his offense were against a former NFL coach in Wink Martindale.
One great season with an insanely talented Ohio State team also does not wipe away the several years of mediocrity at UCLA. Granted, the Bruins did see some improvement under Kelly, but nobody was touting him as this franchise-altering offensive wizard a year ago when his UCLA tenure was over.
Kelly is undoubtedly better as an offensive coordinator than he is a head coach, and he definitely does add value to the Raiders. His success in Vegas is far from guaranteed, though, and Chargers fans shouldn't be particularly worried until he proves it at the NFL level.
Sure, Kelly was great when he was handed one of the most talented offensive units in the country. Now the real test begins as he takes over a talent-deprived Raiders offense.