The New York Giants hired Tim Kelly, a former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator, as their tight ends coach.
Kelly has completed his second season with the Titans and his tenth season coaching in the NFL. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2023 after working as the passing game coordinator in 2022.
He spent eight seasons with the Houston Texans, including three as offensive coordinator, before joining the Titans.
Kelly’s responsibilities in 2022 included working with the Titans’ tight ends, developing the first- and second-down passing game, and assisting with the offensive red zone strategy.
The team’s tight ends were sixth in the NFL at their position with 952 receiving yards, including 450 yards from fourth-round draft pick Chig Okonkwo, who set a franchise record for rookie tight ends and led all NFL rookie tight ends in 2022.
On first and second down, the Titans offense averaged 7.6 passing yards per attempt, tied for sixth in the league, while their red zone touchdown rate of 64.3 percent ranked sixth.
Kelly joined the Texans in 2014 as an offensive quality control coach, then became an assistant offensive line coach in 2016.
He was tight ends coach from 2017 to 2018, and in 2019, he was elevated to offensive coordinator, a position he held until 2021, while also coaching quarterbacks in 2020.
During his tenure in Houston, the Texans won the AFC South title four times.
Davis Mills, a third-round rookie quarterback, started 11 of the Texans’ 13 games in 2021.
He set a team rookie record with 2,664 passing yards, completing 263 of 394 attempts (66.8 percent) for 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a passer rating of 88.8.
Mills had the NFL’s highest red zone passing rating, at 116.8. Additionally, veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks set a career high with 90 receptions for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns.
In 2020, the Texans offense topped the NFL in yards per reception (12.6) and yards per play (6.4), while quarterback Deshaun Watson led the NFL and established the franchise’s single-season passing yardage record with 4,823.
Watson finished first in yards per attempt (8.9), second in passer rating (112.4), and third in completion percentage (70.2).
In Kelly’s first season as offensive coordinator in 2019, the Texans finished 10-6 and won the AFC South title.
Houston signed numerous players who Kelly had developed into the playbook, including lineman Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Kenny Stills, and running backs Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde.
Tunsil earned his first Pro Bowl selection, while Hyde had his first 1,000-yard season in six years.
Tunsil, Watson, and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins were the Texans’ three offensive Pro Bowl picks.
Houston concluded the season with a 3,500-yard passer (Watson), a 1,000-yard rusher (Hyde), and a 1,000-yard receiver (Hopkins), the first time since 2012.
The Texans tied the team record for the most total touchdowns (46) scored in a single
season and set franchise records for most red-zone touchdowns (64.2%) and fewest three-and-outs (24).
The Texans won the AFC South title in 2018 with an 11-5 record, the second-most wins in franchise history and the first season with double-digit wins since 2012.
Under Kelly, rookie tight end Jordan Thomas caught 20 passes for 215 yards (10.8 average.) and four touchdowns in 16 games (10 starts), tying Andre Johnson for the second-most touchdown receptions by a rookie in franchise history.
Kelly was a graduate assistant at Penn State (2012-13) before joining the NFL as a coach. He had previously worked at Ball State in 2011.
Kelly previously served as the defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator at Minnesota State-Moorhead for the 2010 season.
Kelly was the defensive line coach for Illinois-Wesleyan’s 2009 CCIW Championship squad, which finished tenth in the NCAA Division-III rankings. He also coached two first-team All-Conference players.
Kelly played defensive tackle at Eastern Illinois, where he started all 48 games and was named team captain in 2007. He was selected to the Capital One Academic All-District V Team in 2006 and 2007.
Kelly, a native of Chicago Heights, Illinois, attended Marian Catholic High School and is a member of the East Suburban Catholic Conference Hall of Fame.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in sports administration from Eastern Illinois in 2008 and a master’s degree in sports management from Illinois State in 2010.
Dennis, his brother, is an NFL offensive tackle who played five seasons with the Tennessee Titans.
Kelly and his wife, Katie, have two daughters named Norah and Quinn.
