ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy walks around Soldier Field before an NFL preseason football game against the Buffalo Bills Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Chicago.
Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024 | 3:13 p.m.
Having already introduced their fourth coach and fourth general manager since moving to Las Vegas four years ago, the Raiders have now announced their fourth offensive coordinator.
Former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, a 39-year-old who played quarterback collegiately at Pittsburgh and Akron, takes over for Bo Hardegree, who served in an interim role over the second half of last season.
The Bears fired Getsy this offseason after two straight years where their offense ranked 20th in the NFL in average yards per play (5.0 in 2023-2024 after 5.3 in 2022-2023). He implemented a run-first offense in Chicago, which should be a philosophical match with new full-time coach Antonio Pierce, who’s long espoused the virtues of a smashmouth brand of football.
The Bears ran the ball approximately 54% of the time in two seasons with Getsy — far and away the most in the NFL. And they did it successfully for the most part, with a league-leading 5.6 yards per carry two seasons ago before dropping to sixth at 4.5 yards per carry this season.
Much of that offense was built around unique third-year quarterback Justin Fields, who may be on the trade market this offseason. The Bears hold the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and may choose to select a highly touted passer like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, with the Raiders having frequently been mentioned as a team that could pursue a trade for Fields.
It’s unclear whether bringing Getsy on board makes a subsequent move for Fields more or less likely. There’s familiarity there, but also reports that the relationship between coordinator and quarterback was fraught with Fields infamously blaming “coaching” for his “robotic” play earlier this season.
The Raiders were reportedly closing in on former Arizona Cardinals/Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury as their next offensive coordinator last week but talks ended when he decided to take the same position with the Washington Commanders. That led them back to Getsy, who had been interviewed early in the offensive-coordinator search.
The Raiders’ coaching staff now appears fully in place, at least at the top, with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham expected to return under Pierce. Graham had a pair of interviews with the Seattle Seahawks for their vacant head-coaching position before they hired Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or
