Less than a day after Kliff Kingsbury backtracked on a reported agreement to become the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, the team is moving toward another option. The team is zeroing in on Luke Getsy.
The Raiders and the recently fired Bears OC are working on an agreement, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. A hire is expected, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. This would be for another play-calling OC gig; the Bears axed Getsy after two years in the same role. This has been an eventful search for Antonio Pierce‘s team, but it is looking like — barring another 11th-hour breakdown — the AFC West club will have a new play-caller in place soon.
A number of Raiders targets took OC jobs elsewhere. The Bengals promoted Dan Pitcher to what is a non-play-calling OC position. Ex-Browns OC Alex Van Pelt interviewed with the Raiders but accepted the Patriots’ play-calling OC role. The Raiders also had Klint Kubiak, Zac Robinson and Shane Waldron on their radar. This trio of candidates respectively is now aligned with the Saints, Falcons and Bears. As a result of Kingsbury’s course change, the Raiders are ready to commit to a future with Chicago’s previous play-caller.
The Kingsbury agreement surfaced on Thursday. As of Saturday morning, however, the deal was off. Kingsbury informed the Raiders he would not take the job; this came after contract negotiations fell apart. The USC quarterbacks coach is believed to have sought a three-year deal, while the Raiders were aiming at a two-year pact. This might not boil down to only term length, but as it stands now, Kingsbury is squarely on the Commanders’ radar to become their play-calling OC.
Following the Kingsbury news, dot connecting between the Raiders and Getsy commenced. Though, the Raiders also spoke with Eric Bieniemy about the position. With Kingsbury and Chip Kelly — another Raiders candidate — on the radar in Washington, it certainly appears Bieniemy will not be retained. Seeing as Bieniemy arrived in Washington when Dan Snyder and Ron Rivera were still in power, it seemed a long shot he would stay — especially after a 4-13 season — under this new Josh Harris–Adam Peters–Dan Quinn regime.
Getsy, 39, interviewed for the Raiders’ OC job last week; they were the first team to reach out. While the interview went well, the Raiders did not position the ex-Packers QBs coach as their first choice. Getsy also interviewed for the Patriots and Saints’ OC positions, meeting with the Saints twice. But the team is prepared to go with Kubiak.
Tasked with developing Justin Fields, Getsy drew criticism as that effort did not go smoothly. That said, the ex-Aaron Rodgers position coach made a concerted effort to utilize Fields’ gifts in the run game midway through the 2022 season. The result nearly brought down Lamar Jackson‘s single-season QB rushing record; Fields finished with 1,143 rushing yards — second-most by a QB in a season — in 2022. The jury is still out on Fields as a passer, leading to the Caleb Williams rumors, but the Bears respectively ranked first and second on the ground in Getsy’s two seasons.
On the whole, the Bears ranked 23rd and 18th in scoring offense during Getsy’s two seasons in Illinois. Prior to that stay, he also served as the Packers’ pass-game coordinator from 2020-21. Current Raider Davante Adams ripped off his first two All-Pro seasons during that span.
Assuming this Getsy-Raiders partnership becomes official, this year’s OC carousel will feature three recently fired coordinators — Getsy, Van Pelt, Ken Dorsey — landing jobs elsewhere. The Chargers also did not retain Kellen Moore, but he is now in place as the Eagles’ OC. Ditto Seattle and Waldron, who left for Chicago after three years as Pete Carroll‘s OC. Getsy will step into an interesting position in Las Vegas.
Some of this era’s top offensive minds reside in the AFC West. Andy Reid is set to coach in his fifth Super Bowl, while the Broncos have former Super Bowl champion Sean Payton in his second offseason running the show. The Chargers have upped the ante, hiring ex-Super Bowl HC and reigning national champion Jim Harbaugh to oversee Justin Herbert‘s development. Getsy will join a team that has by far the least experienced head coach in the division, and with Pierce’s background on defense, it will be Getsy in full command on the offensive side.
The Raiders also have a quarterback question to answer, joining the Broncos in that regard. Getsy will either be charged with developing a draft choice or working with a veteran acquisition. Either way, plenty will be on the young assistant’s shoulders in 2024.