Eagles Fire Chip Kelly

The Philadelphia Eagles have fired coach Chip Kelly Tuesday night. The team made the official announcement on their website. “We appreciate all the contributions that Chip Kelly made and wish him every success going forward,” Eagles CEO and chairman Jeffrey Lurie said.

He was 26-21 overall in his career, and went 6-9 in 16 weeks this season. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will serve as interim coach for the team's Week 17 game against the New York Giants.

The team e-mailed the following letter from Lurie to season ticket holders:

"I have made a decision to release Chip Kelly this evening. I spent the last three seasons evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team. As I watched this season unfold, I determined that it was time to make a change.

"As we move forward, the search for a new head coach will begin and will be led by myself, Don Smolenski and Howie Roseman. To the extent that we are able, we will try to keep you informed as we go through this process.

Many teams will wait until Monday, to fire coaches and staff members. The Eagles will look to get ahead of the coaching search.