For Chip Kelly, the opportunity to coach again at the highest level of football and the pull of Pete Carroll and Tom Brady was too compelling to ignore.

So, when Carroll called Kelly and offered him the job as the Raiders offensive coordinator, the decision to leave Ohio State after one season was not terribly difficult.

“I would only go somewhere where I felt really confident in the alignment from the ownership to the personnel to the head coach,” Kelly said Wednesday. “And I really felt that when I met with Pete.”

The Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff national championship in Kelly’s one season at Ohio State. He was content to stay there until Carroll reached out.

“I’ve got great respect for him,” Kelly said. “I think everybody in the coaching profession, if you get a chance to work with Pete Carroll, you’re pretty excited about it.”

Brady, new general manager John Spytek and owner Mark Davis’ vision for the Raiders played a big role in Kelly coming to Las Vegas.

“I was just excited about the alignment of everybody,” Kelly said.

Kelly is expected to become the NFL’s highest-paid assistant coach with a deal that averages $6 million per year. The 61-year-old previously coached Oregon and UCLA at the college level and the Eagles and 49ers in the NFL.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.