Steelers trade for Justin Fields would seem to validate Raiders OC Luke Getsy hire

Justin Fields trade suggests the entire NFL shares Raiders opinion that OC Luke Getsy was not the problem in Chicago.

One by one, all the available quarterbacks were either signed as free agents or acquired via trade over the past week. All but one — Justin Fields.

It was obviously the Bears were looking to unload Fields, but the former 11th overall pick was not generating anything near the interest it would have seemed.

Today, the Steelers made a deal to get Fields that showed just how little value teams saw in him.

That’s right, a quarterback who just three years ago was selected just outside the top ten — which is franchise quarterback territory — yields a sixth round pick NEXT YEAR.

That is a serious indictment on him as a player. As they say, it only takes one team to think they can turn a player around and they would easily sent more in trade than what the Steelers just gave up. Which makes for quite a statement that no team did.

That statement essentially is that Fields was the main problem the Bears had with their offense over the past three seasons.

The thing is, however, that the first head to roll when the Bears were attempting to find answers was offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

Often times when an OC oversees an offense as bad as the Bears fielded — 28th in points scored in 2022 — and then gets the ax for it, they might have some difficulty finding another OC job quickly.

That was not the case for Getsy who was one of the first hires by new head coach Antonio Pierce. Or at least he was the choice after they missed out on getting Kliff Kingsbury.

Let’s be clear here, this is all about perception. Which means either Getsy or Fields could prove everyone wrong here. But for now, the opinion the Raiders that it was Fields who was the problem with the Bears offense, and not Getsy, would appear to be shared by the rest of the NFL.

Former Bears OC Luke Getsy had high praise for Justin Fields

New Raiders OC Luke Getsy had nothing but praise for Justin Fields during their time together with the Bears.

The Chicago Bears parted ways with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy this offseason, but it didn’t take him long to find a new landing spot with the Las Vegas Raiders in the same role.

During his introductory press conference, Getsy was asked about working with quarterback Justin Fields for two seasons in Chicago. And Getsy had nothing but praise for Fields, both as a talent and a person.

“Tremendous growth for Justin. … Like I said when I was there, he’s one of the best human beings I’ve ever got to work with,” Getsy said, via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “It’s just the mentality that he brought every day, the consistent approach, the kind of man that he is. Just really, it was a blessing to work with him and he was someone that just came to work every day to get better and better, and I think he’ll continue to do so.”

Fields’ future is currently up-in-the-air as the Bears face a franchise-altering decision at quarterback. They have the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and a potential generational prospect in Caleb Williams waiting for them.

While Bears general manager Ryan Poles said he expects to take the decision into April — unlike last year when he traded the No. 1 pick before free agency — the expectation is Chicago will wind up trading Fields and starting over at quarterback.

But Fields should garner plenty of interest from quarterback-needy teams not in a position to draft one of the top prospects. Some potential suitors include the Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons and perhaps even the Raiders.

Why the Raiders hired former Bears OC Luke Getsy as their offensive coordinator

Luke Getsy left a strong impression on Las Vegas after the Bears dominated the Raiders without Justin Fields last season.

The Chicago Bears fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy after two disappointing seasons, where he failed to develop quarterback Justin Fields and struggled to build an offense around his players.

But just one month after being fired by Chicago, Getsy has found a new offensive coordinator role with the Las Vegas Raiders. The move comes after Kliff Kingsbury backed out of the job to take the offensive coordinator position with the Washington Commanders.

New Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce explained what impressed him about Getsy, referencing the Bears’ dominant 30-12 win over the Raiders last season with Justin Fields sidelined with a dislocated right thumb.

“(Getsy) whopped our a** when we played them,” Pierce said, via Vic Tafur. “Who was their quarterback? I don’t know. Who was their running back? I don’t know. But they still beat us pretty good.”

The quarterback was undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent, making his first NFL start in place of an injured Fields. Chicago was also down starting running back Khalil Herbert, but D’Onta Foreman — who nearly had 1,000 rushing yards last year with the Carolina Panthers — stepped up in his absence.

There’s no denying it was impressive that the Bears were able to win — and in dominant fashion — down their starting quarterback and running back. But it was a bad Raiders team that Chicago dismantled, which helped lead to Josh McDaniels’ firing later in the season.

It wasn’t all bad with Getsy at the helm, as the Bears had a top-two rushing attack in back-to-back seasons. But it was Getsy’s inability to build an offense around his quarterback — and failure to develop Fields — that led to his firing in Chicago.

But, just a month after being fired, Getsy already has a new gig in Las Vegas.

Report: Raiders expected to hire former Bears OC Luke Getsy

According to Albert Breer, the Raiders are expected to hire Luke Getsy as their new offensive coordinator.

Former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has found a new home. According to Sports Illustrated NFL reporter Albert Breer, the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to hire Getsy as their newest offensive coordinator. This comes less than a day after talks with Kliff Kingsbury broke down.

Getsy was fired as Bears offensive coordinator after two seasons when he was unable to get the offense clicking with quarterback Justin Fields. Though the Bears rushing offense led the league in yards per game in 2022 (177.3) and finished second in 2023 (141.1), their passing attack remained stagnant, and the lack of development at the quarterback position was ultimately his undoing.

Now, Getsy gets a fresh start with the Raiders and reunites with wide receiver Davante Adams, whom Getsy coached when he was a member of the Green Bay Packers coaching staff. Prior to his time with the Bears, Getsy spent seven years in Green Bay, coaching a number of positions, including quarterbacks and wide receivers.

The Bears replaced Getsy with former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron nearly two weeks ago.

Raiders quickly move on at OC, near deal to hire former Bears OC Luke Getsy

Raiders quickly move on at OC, near deal to hire former Bears OC Luke Getsy

It didn’t take long for the Raiders to move on from their deal with Kliff Kingsbury falling apart. Hours after realizing Kingsbury would not be taking the offensive coordinator job in Las Vegas, the Raiders are now reportedly working on a deal with former Bears OC Luke Getsy.

Getsy among just three candidates who had interviewed for the job with the Raiders along with UCLA head coach Chip Kelly and Steelers QB coach Mike Sullivan.

While Getsy was just recently fired by the Bears, he is the only of the three interviewed candidates who has recent offensive coordinator experience.

One of the interesting dynamics here is what this could mean for the possibility of the Raiders going after Justin Fields. Getsy was fired because he couldn’t make an offense led by Fields work at a high level. If the Raiders believe Getsy is worth hiring as their OC, it would seem they think the issue was Fields, not Getsy.

Another interesting tidbit is Getsy spent seven seasons in Green Bay, joining the team in 2014 — the same year Davante Adams was drafted. Two of those years he was wide receivers coach and another couple years he was passing game coordinator. So, yeah, the two of them are quite well acquainted.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves as we did when Kliff Kingsbury was also “expected” to be the Raiders next OC. Though usually when that word is used, it actually does happen.

Former Bears OC Luke Getsy ‘well-respected’ around the NFL

Former Bears OC Luke Getsy has drawn interest for multiple offensive coordinator jobs, and it sounds like he’s “well-respected” around the league.

The Chicago Bears fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy following another disappointing outing on offense in 2023. But, to the surprise of Bears faithful, Getsy has drawn interest for multiple offensive coordinator jobs.

Getsy has interviewed with at least three teams for their vacant offensive coordinator jobs — the Las Vegas Raiders, the New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints.

“He’s very well-respected,” NFL insider Albert Breer told ESPN 1000’s Kap & JHood. “I think there are people out there that think he did a pretty good job in the last couple of years, all things considered. Bringing Justin along, building an offense for Justin, weathering the injuries, having a rookie quarterback ready to go in Tyson Bagent.

“I would say there are enough people that feel like, you know, that the potential that he had two years ago when he was hired and became an offensive coordinator, that the potential is still there.”

While Getsy has been rightfully criticized in Chicago, the Bears offense did have a top-two run game in two seasons under Getsy. But Getsy showed an inability to make adjustments, adapt his scheme to fit his players and, most importantly, failed to develop Justin Fields, which is why he was let go from the Bears.

Chicago has already moved on with former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who’s been known for building an offense around different quarterbacks. And that’s the biggest question mark for the Bears right now — will they stick with Fields or draft Caleb Williams.

Are the Saints waiting on the 49ers’ Super Bowl to hire a new offensive coordinator?

Are the Saints waiting on the 49ers’ Super Bowl to hire a new offensive coordinator? A couple of popular candidates are tied up until Feb. 12:

The San Francisco 49ers are headed to Super Bowl LVIII, and they’re taking some popular offensive coordinator candidates with them. Passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak and quarterbacks coach Brian Griese have both interviewed with the New Orleans Saints at least once. But they cannot be hired as offensive coordinator — with New Orleans or any other team — until after the Super Bowl.

With the Saints’ search for an offensive coordinator dragging out longer than fans may have anticipated, it’s fair to wonder if New Orleans is waiting for Kubiak or Griese to become available.

Earlier this week NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported that the search “has narrowed considerably” and that the Saints “are adhering to league rules as they go through the process.”

That report came just before the Saints interviewed Baltimore Ravens wide receivers coach Greg Lewis and met with ex-Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy for the second time, but it’s still noteworthy. It would suggest that the Saints are abiding by the NFL anti-tampering policy for assistants coaching in the Super Bowl, which states the following:

No Coordinator interviews can be requested, granted, or occur after the Saturday of Conference Championship weekend (Saturday, January 27) for any assistant coach whose club is still participating in the postseason.

So we’re in a dead period. If the Saints have identified Kubiak or Griese as their top candidate (or if they simply want to interview them again and go over the job more thoroughly), they must wait until Feb. 12 to take action. The NFL wants its coaches in the Super Bowl focusing on, well, the Super Bowl. Interviewing with other teams is seen as a distraction.

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What hiring Luke Getsy could bring for the Saints offense

What hiring ex-Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy could bring to the Saints offense

Could the next New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator have been flying under the radar this entire time? Luke Getsy is interviewing with Dennis Allen in New Orleans on Wednesday after initially speaking with Saints brass remotely, as has been the case for all of their meetings during this hiring cycle. What’s interesting is that Getsy’s first interview was unreported.

And what’s concerning is his poor performance with the Chicago Bears the last two years. The Bears (and young quarterback Justin Fields) made only incremental progress during Getsy’s two seasons calling plays. So what would he bring to the New Orleans offense? Why are the Saints so interested in him?

Let’s look at his results in one area Saints fans have been clamoring for improvement: the run game. The Bears ranked second in the NFL in both rushing attempts (31.4 per game) and rushing yards (141.1 per game), averaging a very-good 2.9 yards before contact per carry (tied for fourth-most). His offensive line was moving teams and winning their battles up front. That was the case last year, too, when Chicago placed third with 3.4 yards before contact per carry.

Now that all sounds great. But there’s one complicating factor to consider. Justin Fields ranked second in rushing attempts for the Bears in each of the last two seasons, totaling 124 and 160 carries, respectively. That’s not something the Saints are going to get out of Derek Carr who has always played as a pocket passer. He totaled 32 carries this season and has never ran more than 40 times in a single year.

But it is something the Saints could get out of Taysom Hill. He has averaged 83.5 carries per season over the last four years, and Hill is arguably their most explosive option on the ground; he’s led the team in yards per attempt during that span (among players with 10 or more carries each season). Maybe the Saints believe Getsy could get the offensive line right and get even more out of Hill by importing some of the plays designed for Fields.

That’s only part of the problem, though. The Saints found success using more play action and pre-snap motion to get advantageous looks for Carr on passing plays late in the season. If Getsy is tasked with continuing that trend, he’ll have to make it a greater priority than he did in Chicago. The Bears were a bottom-10 team in play action pass attempts in 2022 and just reached the middle of the pack in 2023. Carr has been one of the league’s most effective quarterbacks on play action passes in his career, so it would make sense for a new play caller to emphasize them.

And what about personnel tendencies? The Bears ran a lot of 11 and 12 personnel this year (on 39% and 23% of their first downs) while mixing in 21 personnel looks (13%) to get more tight ends on the field; the Saints leaned hard on 11 personnel (48%) and occasionally worked in a second tight end with 12 personnel (20%). With Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau both underutilized and under contract for 2024, maybe getting them more involved wouldn’t be a bad thing.

One aspect we shouldn’t overlook: run-pass option plays. The Saints mainly used them as a vehicle for setting up Hill’s runs, but Getsy’s Bears had some success throwing on RPO plays. They threw twice as often as New Orleans and gained the 11th-most passing yardage in the league on these plays. Carr has never used them with much volume (or had much success) but maybe that’s something Getsy could tap into.

There are reasons to believe Getsy could work out in New Orleans — if they hire him after all. There are also reasons for skepticism. He never got the Bears into the league’s top-20 teams in total yardage or points scored. Effective as they were on the ground, Chicago fielded a mediocre-at-best passing attack even after loading up with weapons and better protection for Fields in 2023. How much of that is on Fields and how much is on Getsy is still being argued, but what’s clear is that Getsy wouldn’t just be installing his own offense in New Orleans. He’d have to adapt it to the players available and, particularly, his quarterback.

Getsy isn’t the best candidate in this hiring cycle. The Saints are waiting to see how things play out with one or both of the San Francisco 49ers candidates, Klint Kubiak and Brian Griese. The best options have already been hired away so the Saints and other teams still in the hunt have to settle for a second-tier candidate (which is also true for those being hired — these are second-tier jobs). As we’ve discussed, the Saints may have to hire someone who is a retread or desperate for the opportunity to call plays and pad out their resume. To that end, guys like Getsy and Kubiak fit the description.

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Saints to host ex-Bears OC Luke Getsy for second interview

Ex-Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s first interview with the Saints flew under the radar. They’re meeting with him for a second time on Wednesday:

This is big news: the New Orleans Saints will be interviewing former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy for a second time after his first meeting was not reported, having flown under the radar. The MMQB’s Albert Breer reports that Getsy will speak with Saints brass in New Orleans on Wednesday.

That’s a benefit to speaking with candidates virtually at first; fewer people are involved, leading to fewer leaks. The Saints have probably interviewed other candidates whose names have not been made public.

But back to Getsy. He’ll turn 40 in February having worked in the NFL since 2014, with a college coaching career dating back to 2007. Before arriving in Chicago in 2022 he coached quarterbacks for the division-rival Green Bay Packers from 2019 to 2021. He also worked with wide receivers in Green Bay prior to that.

He has play calling experience, but the Bears weren’t exactly a model of success during Getsy’s two-year run. Chicago ranked 18th in points and 20th in yards per game in 2023, which was a gradual improvement over their ranks in 2022 (23rd and 28th, respectively). But between Justin Fields’ slow progress and the opportunity to reboot with the first overall draft pick and their choice of rookie quarterbacks, the Bears chose to go in a new direction this offseason.

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Patriots add two more names to ongoing offensive coordinator search

The search for a new offensive coordinator continues to heat up in New England

There have been a slew of candidates the New England Patriots have either already interviewed or plan on interviewing for their vacant offensive coordinator position.

A couple of more names were added to that list on Saturday with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reporting a planned interview with former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reporting an interview with San Francisco 49ers tight ends coach Brian Fleury.

Getsy was fired by the Bears earlier in the month after spending two seasons with the team. Before taking the job in Chicago, he spent the previous three seasons working as the quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, Fleury is in his second season as tight ends coach for the 49ers, after spending three seasons as a quality control coach for the team.

Both coaches have a direct link to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Of course, Fleury has worked under Shanahan directly for multiple years in San Francisco, while Getsy coached under former Shanahan disciple and current Packers coach Matt Lafleur.

The Patriots are working hard behind the scenes to build a staff around newly-hired coach Jerod Mayo. On Saturday, it was reported that the team is expected to promote defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington as the new defensive coordinator.

That leaves offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator as the only major jobs with a vacancy.

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