Kelly to leave Ohio State

Chip Kelly is returning to the NFL as the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of the decision said Sunday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the hire.

Kelly was the offensive coordinator on Ohio State’s national championship team this past season after previously serving as the head coach at Oregon and UCLA as well as the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

This was the second major personnel decision made by new Raiders coach Pete Carroll. He also retained defensive coordinator Patrick Graham last week.

In hiring Kelly, the Raiders will try to spark an offense that was fourth worst this past season with 303.2 yards per game and last in rushing with a 79.8-yard average.

Among the priorities will be trying to find a quarterback in an AFC West that includes Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix — all who took their teams to the playoffs this season. Mahomes is in the Super Bowl for the third consecutive time as the Kansas City Chiefs try to capture an unprecedented third straight Lombardi Trophy.

But the Raiders’ offensive problems are wide ranging. They failed to adequately replace running back Josh Jacobs, who signed with the Green Bay Packers. The Raiders also lost a game-changer at wide receiver when Davante Adams was traded during the season to the New York Jets.

But there are some areas of optimism. Brock Bowers had a historic season for a rookie tight end, Jakobi Meyers put together his first 1,000-yard receiving season and offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze proved to be strong building blocks as rookies along with tackle Kolton Miller.

Kelly established himself as a creative offensive mastermind as Oregon’s offensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008 and then as the Ducks’ head coach the following four seasons. He went 46-7, appearing in the Bowl Championship Series national championship game in 2010 season and finishing in the top four of the AP poll his last three years.

Wilson focused on Steelers

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Russell Wilson strolled into Camping World Stadium on Saturday and immediately started looking for his son. He spotted him on the opposite sideline and made a beeline across the field. Wilson didn’t want to do anything without Future Wilson by his side.

After all, Wilson realizes his 10th Pro Bowl might be his last.

The 36-year-old quarterback, who was added to the Pro Bowl Games as an alternate when Buffalo’s Josh Allen pulled out this week, is a pending free agent after spending one year in Pittsburgh.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully going back to the Steelers and we’ll see what happens with the rest,” Wilson told The Associated Press. “I love it in Pittsburgh.”

The Steelers might have other ideas.

Team president Art Rooney II indicated Monday that he would like to keep Wilson or Justin Fields on a multiyear deal. Rooney didn’t specify which one, but he said age could play a factor in the decision.

Fields, who went 4-2 while filling in for an injured Wilson early in the season, turns 25 next month. Wilson had made three Pro Bowls before Fields even became a star at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Georgia.

“I’ve been fortunate to play 13-plus years, and I’ve got a lot more ball left in me,” Wilson said. “I think staying healthy is always the thing. You’ve got to be healthy to play your best, and I feel great right now.”

Wilson sidestepped several questions about potentially reuniting with former Seattle coach Pete Carroll in Las Vegas. The Raiders hired the 73-year-old Carroll last month, and speculation quickly followed that Wilson might join him in Vegas.

“Pete’s going to be a great coach, obviously,” Wilson said. “He’s great at what he does. But I’m focused on the Steelers.”

Wilson started the final 11 games of the 2024 season after returning from a calf injury he suffered at the start of training camp. He completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,482 yards, with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 155 yards and two scores.

Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said it “would be huge” to keep Wilson in 2025 before adding Fields to his response.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but those quarterbacks know what they’re doing,” Heyward said. “I just hope we find a solution and a recipe for us to continue to win.”

Raiders tight end Brock Bowers smiled when asked about the notion of playing with Wilson but stopped short of stumping for an upgrade over Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew. He said he did pepper Wilson with questions about Carroll.

“He said he’s great, he’s awesome and he brings a lot of energy to practices,” Bowers said. “Coach Carroll has won a lot and has a lot of football knowledge, so I’m excited to see what happens.”

No one really knows what’s next for Wilson, who raved about the Steelers.

“Mike Tomlin is special,” Wilson said. “He’s an amazing individual. He’s one of the greatest of all time.”

Some would say the same about Wilson, who is one of three quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for at least 2,400 yards in each of their first 13 seasons. He also has more wins (130) in his first 13 NFL seasons than every quarterback in NFL history except Tom Brady (153), Peyton Manning (150), Ben Roethlisberger (136) and Brett Favre (136).

And he’s got 10 Pro Bowls to boot.

“It’s a blessing,” Wilson said. “I remember being here my rookie year and being around guys like Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton and Eli Manning. And I remember how grateful I was. Ten Pro Bowls later, it’s still a blessing.”

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