Sources: Syracuse's Doug Marrone agrees to coach Bills

After improving a college program located only a few hours away, Doug Marrone is set to try to turn around the Buffalo Bills.

Marrone reached an agreement Sunday to leave Syracuse to become the Bills' coach, three people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. One person said the sides still were putting the finishing touches on the contract.

Marrone, 48, will replace Chan Gailey, who was fired Dec. 31, a day after the Bills closed their second consecutive 6-10 season and extended the NFL's longest active playoff drought to 13 seasons. Marrone, from the Bronx, went 25-25 in four seasons at Syracuse.

ESPN.com first reported early Sunday that Marrone would be leaving to join the Bills.

Syracuse was 26-57 in a seven-year period before Marrone took over at his alma mater. The Orange finished this season 8-5, winning six of the last seven games, including a 38-14 victory over West Virginia in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Now Marrone is set for another challenge two hours west on the New York State Thruway. He'll be taking over a team that has not had a winning record since 2004, is on its fifth coach since 2001 and lost seven of its final 10 games.

The Syracuse job was Marrone's first as a head coach. He has seven years of NFL experience; Marrone spent 2006-08 as the Saints' offensive coordinator and was the Jets' offensive line coach from 2002-05.

One of Marrone's first decisions on offense will be the future of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who took a big step back in his third season as starter and a year after signing a five-year, $59-million contract extension. Buffalo finished 19th in the NFL in yards and 21st in points.

Fitzpatrick, who shares the same agent as Marrone, is due a $3-million roster bonus in March. Bills general manager Buddy Nix already has said he plans to draft a quarterback in April. He also hasn't ruled out the possibility of acquiring one in free agency or through a trade.

Sources: Kelly to stay at Oregon

Two people familiar with the decision said late last night that Chip Kelly will remain the coach at Oregon.

One person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Oregon and Kelly haven't formally announced the decision; the other person wasn't authorized to reveal Kelly's plans.

Plenty of drama surrounding Kelly during the weekend. A person familiar with the situation said he was nearing a deal with the Browns on Friday before he went ahead with his scheduled meeting with the Eagles on Saturday afternoon.

In the end, he stayed put, just like last year, when he nearly accepted a job with the Buccaneers, only to change his mind.

After a lengthy meeting with Kelly a night earlier in Arizona, the Eagles took their coaching search to Denver yesterday to interview Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. The Eagles plan to interview Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley this week.

The Eagles requested permission to interview Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, but the Bengals have yet to grant permission.

-- AP