Brian Kelly and Notre Dame suffered a tough loss on Monday night to Alabama in the BCS championship game, leaving many in the media to speculate about the future of the Irish head coach and the football program. His future just might be in the NFL.
According to ESPN.com, Kelly met with the Philadelphia Eagles and interviewed for their open head coaching position. Chris Mortensen reports that the interview took place on Tuesday and that there was mutual interest between the parties.
Kelly did not comment and was reported to be out of the country. According to the source, the Eagles will meet with Kelly during the weekend to continue the talks.
Notre Dame went 12-0 this season before falling to the Crimson Tide 42-14 in the BCS national championship game in Miami. The 51-year-old Kelly denied having any interest in an NFL coaching job this past Saturday, claiming that leaving Notre Dame "is not an option. I don't even think about it."
Kelly has been a winner at every place he has coached. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Grand Valley State before ascending to the head coaching position where he won two Division II championships. His success at the school got him noticed by Central Michigan, where he was hired as head coach following the 2003 season. After coaching at Central Michigan, Kelly turned around a Cincinnati Bearcats program and went 34-6 from 2006 to 2009 while playing in two BCS bowl games.
In three seasons at Notre Dame, Kelly has gone 28-11 and won the Associated Press college football coach of the year award this season. Notre Dame was ranked first-overall in scoring defense and gained over 400 total yards on offense per game. Kelly used both Everett Golson and Tommy Rees at quarterback this year, with Golson taking hold of the job late in the year.
"I think from my perspective I've got the best job in the country, NFL, college, high school, whatever," Kelly said Saturday. "I just look at the place that I'm at and thankful for the opportunity that I have."
Philadelphia's head coaching job is open following the firing of Andy Reid, who was with the franchise for 14 seasons. During his time with the Eagles, Reid was one of the most successful coaches in the NFL. He went 130-93-1 and won 10 postseason games while going to the playoffs nine times. He led the team to five NFC championship games, including four consecutive appearances from 2001-2004, and to Super Bowl XXXIX in 2004.
Before he was fired, Reid was the longest tenured head coach in the NFL since joining the Eagles in 1999. This year's 4-12 record was the worst for Reid since his first year with the team and ended on a sour note after a 42-7 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday in Week 17.
The Eagles have met with Penn State's Bill O'Brien and Oregon's Chip Kelly already, but both coaches decided to stay at their current jobs. The team also met with
Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy on Sunday and will discuss the job with Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and Cincinnati offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.
General manager Howie Roseman, owner Jeffrey Lurie and president Don Smolenski also plan to meet with former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith on Thursday. The Eagles are taking a pragmatic approach and aren't rushing to hire a coach.
"Jeffrey has been very adamant with us that the key is getting the right guy," Roseman said in an interview on the team's website. "The key isn't getting the right guy as quickly as possible, so that's what we're going to do."
Kelly appeared to be the man for the job after meeting with the Eagles for a long time after the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, but he eventually decided to stay at Oregon. Kelly made a similar move last season, nearly taking the head coaching job for the Tampa Bsy Buccaneers before deciding to stay with the Ducks.
Philadelphia had a rough year in 2012 due to poor play and injuries. The Eagles lost 11 of the last 12 games of the season, winning 23-21 against Tampa Bay on Dec. 9 for the lone victory during that span. The Eagles dealt with injuries to quarterback Michael Vick, who threw for 2,362 yards and 12 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 10 games played.
LeSean McCoy dealt with a concussion and DeSean Jackson was forced to go on injured reserve after suffering a rib injury. The Eagles started 3-1 this season, but lost the following eight games in a row, including a 31-6 defeat against the Washington Redskins. Vick suffered a concussion during the streak and was benched for rookie Nick Foles.
Philadelphia had issues on both sides of the ball this season and finished ranked 23rd in the league in rushing defense while allowing 27 points per game.