Chip Kelly once turned down chance to join Tom Coughlin, Giants

Back in 2006, when Chip Kelly was the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire, Giants head coach Tom Couglin was interested in bringing on the young coach as part of his staff in New York.

Surprisingly, he declined.

While going from UNH to the NFL would be a huge jump, Kelly wasn't swayed.

Then, in 2007, Kelly joined Oregon as the offensive coordinator. In 2009, he was named the Ducks' head coach.

This Sunday, he will go full circle - as things often do in life - and will be standing across the field from Coughlin, the man who offered him his first NFL job, when the Eagles face the Giants.

On Wednesday, during his meeting with the Philadelphia media, Kelly elaborated on why he decided to stay:

The internal debate was it was a quality control position. I wasn't coaching a position. It was more that part of, when you get to a point where I was, doesn't matter what level you're at, you're designing offense, you're calling plays, coaching in an individual position. Even though it's a huge step up going from New Hampshire to the Giants, that was it.

I had all the respect in the world for coach [Tom Coughlin]. I think he's a Hall of Fame coach, won two Super Bowls. Would have been a great person to learn from. It was a great job, but it wasn't the right job at the right time.

Had Kelly joined the Giants, he would have a pair of Super Bowl rings. However, he would likely still be working towards a head coaching job in the NFL instead of preparing his team to play Coughlin's Giants.