HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to hire Luke Getsy as their next offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Saturday night. The report comes hours after former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury withdrew from consideration.
Getsy, 39, fired by the Chicago Bears as offensive coordinator last month, was one of at least five candidates the Raiders interviewed for the vacant offensive playcaller position. Kingsbury, former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, Pittsburgh Steelers receivers coach Mike Sullivan and UCLA coach Chip Kelly were among the others. Van Pelt was hired to be the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator, while Kingsbury has been linked to the Washington Commanders' vacant offensive coordinator position.
In his reintroductory news conference last month, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said he wanted a “minimum of 24 points” from a new offensive coordinator, after the Raiders averaged 19.5 points per game under the former coach Josh McDaniels and interim offensive coordinator Bo Hartitle.
To average 24 points, the Raiders would need to score 408 points, a mark they have only reached three times since their 2002 Super Bowl season.
Pierce said an incoming offensive coordinator would have to be a teacher who can “adapt on the fly” during games.
“You have to be able to run the ball, play-action passes,” Pierce said. “What are the Raiders known for? The vertical passing game, right? We want to see the shots down the field. We want the explosive plays. That has to be part of the creativity. We look at the switches, the movements, everything that implies that… just think about when [the] The Raiders were playing very well and hopefully that will be their offensive coordinator as we move forward.”
Getsy brings that run-first mentality that Pierce and new general manager Tom Telesco like. The Bears led the NFL in rushing yards in 2022 (177.3 yards per game) and finished second in 2023 (141.1).
That's the good thing.
The bad? The Bears ranked last in passing offense in 2022 (130.5) and 27th last season (182.1); They averaged 21.2 points per game.
One potentially intriguing plot twist is Getsy's relationship with Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Fields could be a Las Vegas trade target with the Raiders, who have the No. 13 overall pick in the draft and will likely move on from veteran Jimmy Garoppolo. While rookie Aidan O'Connell proved useful as a substitute, he remained immobile in the pocket.
Getsy was fired in Chicago on January 10, after the club decided to reorganize personnel, but retained coach Matt Eberflus for the 2024 season. The Bears finished 7-10, tied for last place in the NFC North with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Raiders, meanwhile, went 8-9, including a lackluster 31-12 loss in Week 7 in Chicago with undrafted Bears rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent (replacing an injured Fields). The loss led to McDaniels' firing on October 31.
Under Pierce, promoted from linebackers coach to interim coach, the Raiders finished 5-4, 3-1 in the AFC West and handed the conference champion Kansas City Chiefs their most recent loss on Christmas Day.
And although they scored 357 points, the Raiders' quarterbacks combined for just an 80.1 QBR rating.
In Chicago, players' frustrations with the Bears' offense were on display several times during the 2023 season, beginning in Week 3 when Fields pointed to “coaching” as the reason behind his “robotic” play. Wide receiver DJ Moore also indicated that a lack of consistent explosive plays caused Chicago to fall short.
“To me, the growth and development of the offense had to be better than it was,” Eberflus said after the season. “If you look at the passing game, certainly that's one aspect of it. And that's where it is. We decided to put that behind us.”
Getsy's Chicago offense ranked 17th in offensive points per game (20.4), its highest mark since ranking 11th in 2018, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Sports Illustrated was the first to report on Getsy's hiring.
