Kyle Shanahan is expected to sign with the San Francisco 49ers to be their next head coach, which leaves a vacancy at the offensive coordinator position for the Atlanta Falcons.
According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, former Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly could fill that void.
Also reported by @JayGlazer: Chip Kelly is a candidate to replace Kyle Shanahan with the Falcons.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 22, 2017
While Kelly hasn’t been a good head coach or general manager, there is no doubt he has the ability to bring out the best in NFL quarterbacks. The likes of Nick Foles and Colin Kaepernick both thrived in his system, and if he joined the Falcons as the offensive coordinator he’d have more talent than he knows what to do with.
Also, while his other stops in Philly and San Francisco have resulted in some terrible defenses due to his hurry-up offensive philosophy, Atlanta has a defensive-minded head coach in Dan Quinn who could potentially counterbalance that for the Falcons.
This will be a fascinating story to follow. Shanahan has reportedly already lined up his second interview with the 49ers after the NFC Championship Game and could sign as early as this week if the Falcons lost to the Green Bay Packers.
With most of the top coaches already signed with other teams, Kelly might be the best option the Falcons have if/when Shanahan leaves for his next challenge.