Coach Chip Kelly fired by Philadelphia Eagles

PHILADELPHIA -- The Chip Kelly revolution ended before it ever really began.

The Philadelphia Eagles abruptly fired Kelly on Tuesday night, five days before the final game of the 2015 regular season. Kelly's Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention when they lost to the Washington Redskins on Saturday night.

That loss dropped the Eagles to 6-9. They were 2-5 over their past seven games, including losses in which they surrendered 45 points twice and 40 points once. Kelly's record in nearly three seasons as Eagles head coach was 26-21.

Kelly told Fox Sports on Tuesday night that he didn't fight owner Jeffrey Lurie's decision to fire him. He also told Fox Sports that he wants to stay in the NFL rather than return to college coaching.

"We appreciate all the contributions that Chip Kelly made and wish him every success going forward," Lurie said in a statement released by the team.

Sources told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio that Lurie had been thinking for weeks about making changes in the team's structure, including stripping Kelly of personnel control.

That suggestion was made to Kelly when he met with Lurie recently, sources said, and Kelly balked at the idea.

Sources said Lurie made the decision to part ways with Kelly on Tuesday morning. That will allow the Eagles to get a jump on some of the hot assistant coaches who will be available, including Sean McDermott, the Carolina Panthers' defensive coordinator who once held the same title with the Eagles.

"This has been very painful to watch over the last three weeks. And changes needed to be made," a senior Eagles executive told Paolantonio.

A news conference is scheduled for noon ET Wednesday. Pat Shurmur, the Eagles' offensive coordinator and the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, will serve as interim head coach for Sunday's game against the New York Giants.

Lurie said in a letter to fans that team president Don Smolenski and Howie Roseman, the executive vice president of football operations, will assist him in the search for a new coach.

"I spent the last three seasons evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team," Lurie said in the letter. "As I watched this season unfold, I determined that it was time to make a change."

The abrupt move caught some Eagles players off guard.

"It was unexpected," wide receiver Jordan Matthews told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "I had no idea it was coming. I found out like everybody else."

However, two Eagles players, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team was not publicly discussing the firing, told The Associated Press that several players had met in groups in recent weeks to discuss their frustration with Kelly. They said they expressed relief in text exchanges with teammates after the team announced it had fired Kelly, after most players had left the practice facility for the day.

Kelly's dismissal represents a shocking fall from grace. Hired from the University of Oregon in 2013, Kelly came into the league with a reputation as an innovator and, in the words of Lurie, a "program builder."

Kelly made enormous changes in the way the Eagles do everything, from their practice schedules to their diets and sleep habits. He was caught on camera last season telling a player that "culture beats scheme," a private moment that became a kind of rallying cry.

In his first game, a Monday night contest at Washington, Kelly's Eagles ran their no-huddle offense at breakneck speed in a 33-27 victory. The Eagles went 10-6 in 2013, winning the season finale at Dallas to claim the NFC East title. Despite a playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, it seemed as if Kelly's NFL future was unlimited.

Last season, the Eagles again went 10-6. But they lost three of their last four games and missed the playoffs. Immediately after the season, Lurie decided to move aside Roseman, then the general manager, and give Kelly full control over personnel decisions.

Kelly wielded that new power, trading away quarterback Nick Foles and running back LeSean McCoy. He acquired Sam Bradford in the Foles deal and running back DeMarco Murray and cornerback Byron Maxwell in free agency. He also released veteran guards Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans and didn't re-sign wideout Jeremy Maclin. He even signed Tim Tebow but released him after Tebow won the competition for the No. 3 quarterback job.

Kelly didn't want players perceived as "me-first" guys. He alienated some of his players, although those who spoke out against him did it after they were gone.

McCoy, the franchise's all-time leading rusher and a fan favorite, made headlines when he said there was a reason Kelly got rid of "all the good black players." Cornerback Brandon Boykin, who was traded to Pittsburgh, said Kelly was "uncomfortable" around black players.

Other players supported Kelly, but his reputation took a hit.

Lurie described the roster makeover as an attempt to "go from good to great." He also pointed out the inherent risk of going from good to mediocre, or worse.

That's what happened this season. The Eagles started 1-3. Bradford, who looked stellar in the preseason, was uneven behind a patchwork offensive line. Murray never seemed comfortable in Kelly's offense. There was little sign of the team that had begun so memorably in Kelly's debut in Washington two years earlier.

After getting to 4-4 at the midway point, the Eagles took a severe downturn in recent weeks. They upset the New England Patriots on the road and defeated the Buffalo Bills to get to 6-7 but lost 40-17 to Arizona and then 38-24 to Washington to fall out of playoff contention.

"It's 100 percent on my shoulders," Kelly said after Saturday's loss. "It's unacceptable."

He also addressed whether he was on the hot seat, saying, "Anybody in my situation, if they're worried about getting fired, they probably already should have been fired. It's not good enough, but I'm going to continue to work."

Kelly became the first Eagles head coach since Buddy Ryan in the 1980s to go through three seasons without a playoff victory.

The Eagles also fired Ed Marynowitz, whom Kelly had enlisted to run the Eagles' personnel department.

Tom Donahoe, the former general manager of theBuffalo Bills, was named senior director of player personnel.

ESPN's Sal Paolantonio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.