Advertisement

Luke Getsy expected to sign as next Raiders offensive coordinator

Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy walks on the field prior to an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
Former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is reportedly about to become the Las Vegas Raiders next offensive coordinator. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)

The Las Vegas Raiders have found their man ... again. Luke Getsy, the former offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears who was fired on Jan. 10, is expected to be the Raiders' next offensive coordinator, according to Sports Illustrated.

This comes hours after Kliff Kingsbury took himself out of the running for the job, and is now reportedly in talks with the Washington Commanders to become their top offensive coach. Las Vegas interviewed five candidates for its opening, including Getsy, Kingsbury, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, former Cleveland Browns offensive coach Alex Van Pelt and Pittsburgh Steelers receivers coach Mike Sullivan.

New Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said he wanted an offensive coordinator who could not only average 24 points a game but could also be a great teacher.

"You've got to be able to run the football — play-action pass," Pierce said then. "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 a part of the creativity. You look at the shifts, the motions, all that stuff goes into it ... just think of when [the] Raiders were playing really good football, and that's going to be your offensive coordinator, hopefully, as we go forward."

While Getsy's unit with the Bears ranked last in passing offense in 2022 (130.5 yards per game) and only slightly improved to 27th last season (182.1), that's only a portion of his story. Las Vegas has been mentioned as possible trade destination for Getsy's former Bears quarterback Justin Fields, who played exemplary when he returned from his finger injury for the second half of the season.

Chicago finished 4-3 when Fields returned but the Bears were in every game they played. The third-year quarterback completed 127 of 208 passes for 1,361 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing 77 times for 420 yards and three scores.

The soon-to-be 40-year-old coach is also incredibly familiar with the Raiders' top receiver Davante Adams thanks to their many years together in Green Bay. Getsy was an offensive quality control coach (2014-15) the year that Adams was drafted, before becoming the receivers coach (2016-17), quarterbacks coach (2019) and then ascending to the QB coach and passing game coordinator (2020-21) in Adams' final two seasons in Wisconsin.

During Getsy's final two years with the Packers, they owned the ninth-best average for passing yards and in his first year as Adams' receivers coach, Green Bay had a top-five passing attack.

In addition to a strong vertical game, both Pierce and new general manager Tom Telesco want Las Vegas to be able to run the ball well. That's a place that Getsy's offense excelled in Chicago, as it finished with the top rushing unit in 2022 (177.3) and second this season (141.1).