Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly isn't going to Texas, joining the list of high-prolife names including Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh who have declined interest in replacing Mack Brown.
"I understand you have to ask the question, but I'm not involved in any jobs (that are vacant)," Kelly told CSNPhilly.com on Monday. "I'm the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and I'm going to prepare for the Bears, we're going to prepare for the Cowboys after that. Hopefully, we have an opportunity to go to the playoffs and I plan to be here for a while."
Kelly's name was previously floated for the since-filled vacancy at USC despite still being under a show-cause penalty that could result in NCAA sanctions for any school that tried to hire the first-year Eagles coach this season.
With Kelly at the helm, the Eagles sit atop the NFC East at 8-6 and are in position to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season.
Kelly, who went from the largely unknown offensive coordinator at New Hampshire to the mastermind behind Oregon's explosive spread option offense and rise to national prominence, hasn't been able to shake links between him and the college game just yet.
But those should fall away in years to come, especially if Kelly caps his rookie season with a division title. His understanding of the NFL will only improve, and the Eagles will have the opportunity through free agency and the 2014 NFL Draft to continue developing a roster that matches what Kelly wants to do in all phases of the game.
Kelly joked about the connections by pointing to his early returns with the Eagles: "I consider myself a pro coach eight times this year, and six times I haven't."
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.