Raiders hires Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator
Sources: Raiders expected to hire Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator
Henderson, Nevada The sources confirmed a report to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler late on Saturday night, hours after former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury withdrew himself from consideration, with the Raiders anticipating that Getsy would join coach Antonio Pierce’s staff. Luke Getsy is expected to be hired by the Las Vegas Raiders as their next offensive coordinator.
Along with Kingsbury, former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, Pittsburgh Steelers receivers coach Mike Sullivan, and UCLA coach Chip Kelly, Getsy, 39, was one of at least five candidates the Raiders interviewed for the open offensive playcaller position. Getsy was fired by the Chicago Bears last month. While Kingsbury has been connected to the open offensive coordinator post with the Washington Commanders, Van Pelt was hired to be the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.
Following the Raiders’ 19.5 point per game average under previous coach Josh McDaniels and interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree, Pierce stated in his re-introduction press conference last month that he was looking for “minimum 24 points” from a new offensive coordinator.
The Raiders would need to score 408 points, something they have only done three times since their 2002 Super Bowl season, in order to average 24 points a game.
Pierce stated that a teacher with the ability to “adjust on the fly” during games would be required of any new offensive coordinator.
“You’ve got to be able to run the football — play-action pass,” Pierce stated. “What is the reputation of the Raiders? You mean the vertical passing game? The shots down the field are what we want to see. The exciting plays are what we desire. That needs to be a creative component. You observe the movements, the changes, and everything else that goes into it.
Just recall the times when the Raiders were a formidable football team; ideally, that will be your offensive coordinator moving forward.”
Pierce and new general manager Tom Telesco enjoy Getsy’s run-heavy approach, which is fitting given that the Bears led the NFL in running in 2022 (177.3 yards per game) and placed second in 2023 (141.1).
That’s the positive.
The negative? In terms of passing offense, the Bears were 27th last season (182.1) with an average of 21.2 points per game, and last in 2022 (130.5).
Getsy’s friendship with Bears quarterback Justin Fields, who may be a trade target for the Raiders in Las Vegas given that they own the No. 13 overall draft pick and are expected to move on from veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Aidan O’Connell, who proved to be as reliable a backup as he was immobile in the pocket, is another potentially fascinating plot twist.
On January 10, Getsy was let go in Chicago after the team made the decision to shuffle the staff but retain coach Matt Eberflus until the 2024 season. After finishing 7–10, the Bears and Minnesota Vikings shared last place in the NFC North.
While the Raiders finished with an 8-9 record, they did suffer a disappointing 31-12 loss at Chicago to undrafted Division II Bears rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent in Week 7. This setback contributed to McDaniels’ firing on Halloween. Fields missed that day’s play due to an injury.
The Raiders finished 5-4 and 3-1 in the AFC West under Pierce, who was elevated from linebackers coach to interim coach. The Raiders’ most recent defeat came on Christmas Day, against the conference-winning Kansas City Chiefs.
Furthermore, the Raiders quarterbacks only had an 80.1 QBR rating as a unit even though they scored 357 points.
In Week 3, Fields blamed “coaching” for his “robotic” play, sparking the first of many instances throughout the 2023 season in Chicago where players’ resentment of the Bears’ offense became apparent. Wide receiver DJ Moore said that Chicago lost because there weren’t enough reliable, high-scoring plays.
After the season, Eberflus stated, “I felt the offense’s growth and development needed to be better than what it was.” “You see, one part of it is definitely the passing game. And that’s its location. We made the decision to let that go.”
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Getsy’s offense in Chicago rated 17th in offensive points per game (20.4), its highest number since finishing 11th in 2018.