The Cleveland Browns have decided to reboot their coach search after leaving Arizona late Sunday morning without landing Oregon's Chip Kelly, according to league sources.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III will renew the search at "square one" once his executive contingent, including CEO Joe Banner is stationed back in Cleveland after interviewing eight candidates in Arizona.
Kelly and Syracuse coach Doug Marrone emerged as the leading candidates but Marrone reached an agreement to become the next coach of the Buffalo Bills.
The Philadelphia Eagles are the only other NFL team known to have interviewed Kelly. League sources believe the chances of Kelly returning to Oregon were significant with a decision expected Sunday.
The Eagles took their coaching search committee to Denver to interview Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy on Sunday after a lengthy meeting with Kelly on Saturday night in Arizona.
Kelly has built the Ducks into a national power. Oregon has gone 46-7 in the last four years and made four consecutive BCS bowl games. Kelly run's a high-octane, fast-breaking offense, and elements of his schemes are already being used by New England and Washington.
If he returns to the Eugene, Ore., campus, Kelly may be facing NCAA sanctions as the school is being investigated for recruiting violations.
Haslam and Banner had been in Arizona since firing Pat Shurmur last week. Shurmur went 9-23 in two seasons with Cleveland, which is seeking its sixth full-time coach since 1999.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.