Clemson football assistant Tony Elliott turning down NFL offers
Clemson football offensive coordinator Tony Elliott had an opportunity to potentially make a leap to the NFL, but all indications point to him staying put.
Early reports indicated that a few NFL teams had shown interest in potentially nabbing Elliott away from the Clemson football program, but it doesn’t seem that they would be successful in that venture.
NFL analyst Josina Anderson reported that the Seattle Seahawks, and later the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans had all shown interest in Elliott. Anderson tweeted Thursday afternoon that the Dolphins and Titans had reached out to Elliott, but he informed both teams that he wants to stay at Clemson for the time being.
I'm told the #Dolphins have reached out to Clemson OC Tony Elliott, as did the #Titans--just to gauge his interest--with current OC Arthur Smith interviewing for current HC vacancies. However, Elliott informed both teams he wants to stay at Clemson for the time being, per source.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 14, 2021
Elliott is looking for the perfect job and he’s not leaving Clemson football just because a prominent team or names comes knocking
There has been this feeling among Clemson football fans for the last few years that ‘it’s only a matter of time’ before Elliott leaves for a better opportunity.
Many Tiger fans have believed that he’d take one of the first head coaching opportunities offered to him- similar to Chad Morris- but those beliefs have been proven wrong.
Elliott has basically given the message that he’s not leaving Clemson for anything that could even be remotely considered a lateral move. He didn’t interview with Auburn when their head coaching position was open. He has told these NFL teams- who have wanted his as an offensive coordinator- no. And he continues to remain loyal to what’s being built in Clemson.
We still believe that Elliott will leave when the time is right. He has desires to develop and work up the ladder in his coaching career, but it’s also clear that he’s invested in this program and he’s not looking to just up-and-leave at the first offer.
There have been speculations that the Jacksonville Jaguars could reach out to Elliott once Urban Meyer is hired to pair him with Trevor Lawrence, but nothing has proceeded forward at this point and it seems that Elliott may very well be content to just stay put this offseason and focus on continuing to build his brand and reputation for something bigger.