Rumors have been surfacing that Oregon is making a push to bring Chip Kelly back to Eugene as its head football coach, but at what cost?
The Ducks have been on the hunt for their next coach after Mario Cristobal left the program for the same position at Miami.
Per ESPN, Oregon "is making a push" to bring in UCLA coach Kelly. The 58-year-old would reportedly be due a $9 million buyout if he left for a new gig before early January 2022 since he is currently in the final year of a five-year, $23.3 million contract.
Per Sports Illustrated's Richard Johnson, "While Oregon has plenty of money with which to entice Kelly and the obvious emotional ties, UCLA is unlikely to let Kelly go without an enticing offer to retain him given its own sizable war chest of donor money. Kelly showed progress this year with an 8–4 record that is by far his best after it looked like he could end the season on the hot seat."
UCLA faces North Carolina State in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28.
Kelly went 46–7 in four seasons at Oregon (2009 to '12) and led the Ducks to the BCS National Championship Game in 2010, losing to Auburn, 22-19. During three of those seasons, the Ducks brought home the Pac-12 title and finished in the top five in the final AP poll.
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