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Orlovsky: Raiders keeping Pierce a ‘no-brainer’ (1:47)
Dan Orlovsky and Mina Kimes break down the Raiders’ decision to make Antonio Pierce head coach after his interim stint. (1:47)
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Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 4, 2024, 01:32 AM ET
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- Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role – writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA’s Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis’ Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to hire Luke Getsy as their next offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler late Saturday night. The report comes hours after former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury removed himself 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 vacant Washington Commanders offensive coordinator position.
In his reintroductory news conference last month, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said he wanted a “minimum 24 points” out of a new offensive coordinator, after the Raiders averaged 19.5 points per game under former coach Josh McDaniels and interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree.
To average 24 points, the Raiders would need to score 408 points, a mark they have hit only three times since their 2002 Super Bowl season.
Pierce said an incoming offensive coordinator would have to be a teacher who can “adjust on the fly” during games.
“You’ve got to be able to run the football — play-action pass,” 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 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.”
Getsy brings that run-heavy mentality that Pierce and new general manager Tom Telesco like. The Bears led the NFL in rushing in 2022 (177.3 YPG) and finished second in 2023 (141.1).
That’s the good.
The bad? The Bears were last in passing offense in 2022 (130.5 YPG) and 27th last season (182.1); they averaged 21.2 points per game.
A potentially intriguing plot twist is Getsy’s relationship with Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Fields might be a trade target for the Raiders, who hold the No. 13 overall draft pick and are likely to move on from veteran Jimmy Garoppolo. While rookie Aidan O’Connell showed himself to be serviceable as a backup, he was immobile in the pocket.
Getsy was fired in Chicago on Jan. 10, after the club decided to shake up the staff but kept 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 30-12 Week 7 loss at Chicago with undrafted Bears rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent filling in for an injured Fields. The defeat led to McDaniels’ dismissal on Oct. 31.
Under Pierce, promoted from linebackers coach to interim coach, the Raiders went 5-4, 3-1 in the AFC West, and handed the conference champion Kansas City Chiefs their most recent loss on Christmas Day.
And though they scored 357 points, Raiders quarterbacks combined for just an 80.1 quarterback rating.
In Chicago, player frustrations over the Bears offense showed 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 a lack of consistent explosive plays caused Chicago to fall short.
“The growth and the development of the offense, to me, needed to be better than what it was,” Eberflus said after the season. “You look at the passing game, certainly that’s one aspect of it. And that’s where it is. We decided to move on from that.”
Getsy’s offense in Chicago ranked 17th in offensive points per game (20.4), its highest mark since ranking 11th in 2018, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Sports Illustrated first reported on Getsy’s hiring.
