In a move to reinvigorate their lagging offense, the Las Vegas Raiders have tapped Greg Olson as their interim offensive coordinator. Olson steps into the role after the dismissal of Chip Kelly, who faced the axe last night following a disheartening 24-10 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns. This change at the coaching helm was reported by AP News.
Olson is no stranger to the position, having previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Raiders from 2018 to 2021 under former head coach Jon Gruden; moreover, before his elevation, Olson had been overseeing the team's quarterbacks under new head coach Pete Carroll, the same role he held in 2023 with Carroll in Seattle, according to AP News and Sports Illustrated.
Pete Carroll expressed a mix of disappointment and necessity in making the decision to fire Kelly, saying, "I hate that we had to do this at this time," and underscored the difficulty in finding the right fit for the team's style of play. In a statement reported by AP News, Carroll continued, "But at this time, I just felt like we needed to take the next step. We were kind of staying the same and staying the same, so it wasn't good enough for our fans and for our guys."
Under Kelly's tenure, the Raiders' offensive unit struggled significantly, ranking near the bottom of the league in multiple categories; the Raiders rank 30th in total yards and 31st in rushing yards despite selecting star running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick of the 2025 draft. Chip Kelly himself reflected on the termination in a humble tone, acknowledging the bottom-line nature of professional sports: "I am grateful for the opportunity with the Raiders, bottom line in this league you have to win," Kelly shared with NFL insider Jay Glazer, as further reported by Sports Illustrated.
The Raiders' quarterback, Geno Smith, also underperformed expectations, recording an underwhelming 82.4 passer rating with an even touchdown-to-interception ratio of 13-13 through 11 starts this season, as noted in the Sports Illustrated piece. With these statistics reflecting the underachievement, Olson will be expected to course-correct a Raiders offense that has fallen short of its potential this season.
