Raiders assistant returns to family business after stint in Hollywood

The family business was always knocking on Luke Steckel’s door. He just took a circuitous route to answer it.

He knew there was no keeping it out once he finally cracked the door open.

Steckel, 39, is entering his first season as the Raiders tight ends coach. He’s entering his 16th season as an NFL assistant, the same league his father found success roaming the sidelines.

Les Steckel was the Vikings coach in 1984 and served as an assistant at various stops around the league for another 19 years. Luke’s uncle Dave Steckel was Missouri’s defensive coordinator from 2009-14 and was Missouri State’s coach from 2015-19.

Yet Luke Steckel wasn’t sure he wanted to follow in those footsteps when he finished college at Princeton in 2007.

He instead made his way to Los Angeles and worked as a production assistant on films like “Fast &Furious” and “All About Steve.” The latter featured a star-studded cast that included Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper and Thomas Haden Church.

“When I graduated from college, I kind of thought to myself there’s got to be something else out there,” Steckel said. “So I kind of dabbled in some stuff and took about a year, year and a half to see if there was anything out there that I had the same passion for, the same energy and enthusiasm for.

“And the answer was no.”

Football kept knocking.

Foot in the door

Steckel took a job as an assistant to Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini in 2009. He remained with the franchise after Mangini was gone, working his way up through the ranks.

Steckel then served in a variety of roles with the Titans from 2013-22 before coaching the Bears’ offensive line last season.

“The short answer is I don’t know any better,” he said of what drew him to the profession. “I got into coaching several years after my father had finished his career, but I was lucky to get my foot in the door with him being out of the league for so long. And I’ve just been trying to carve out my own role in every building I’ve been in.”

Steckel is excited for a new challenge with a new organization this year.

“We’ve got a really, really special job. We’re so fortunate. We’re so blessed,” he said. “I walk through these doors every day and feel like the luckiest guy in the world. And when you work with people that we have in this building, the coaches, the support staff, our front office and most importantly the players, it makes a great job even better.”

No drama

Steckel steps into a situation that could have produced drama fit for Hollywood.

The Raiders selected tight end Brock Bowers 13th overall in April’s draft, a year after the team picked tight end Michael Mayer in the second round.

Fortunately for Steckel, the duo has been more than willing to act as co-stars rather than fight over top billing.

“The number one quality of great coaches is great players,” Steckel said. “And I’m very fortunate because I got some great players in our room and (will be) able to use the skill sets of both those guys because I think they match well off of each other.

“It’s nice when you have guys that have that versatility. Mike can do a lot of things. Brock can do a lot of things. The rest of the tight ends have a very defined and versatile skill set, so I’m excited once we do get to the season of seeing how we can pair those guys and work through it. (I’m) excited to have both those guys in our room.”

Bowers has all the hype at the moment. Steckel backed that up with a glowing review of what he’s seen so far.

The coach also believes Mayer is primed to take a big step forward this season.

“If there’s a fan club, I’m the president of the Mike Mayer fan club,” Steckel said. “He’s been outstanding. It’s been a real pleasure being able to coach him because he’s eager to learn. We’re still all in this learning process. We’re trying to lay the foundation right now in (organized team activities). You’re not going to win any games in April or May, but you’re building that foundation to win games and Mike’s been outstanding.”

Steckel hopes to get the most out of both players. Coaching this kind of talent could obviously help propel his own career.

He is already starting to make his own name in the coaching world. That should only continue moving forward.

“I’ve been really fortunate,” Steckel said. “It is in my blood as you mentioned. My dad was a coach, my uncle was a coach and they’re two of the best coaches and best men I’ve ever known. Growing up I used to say, ‘If I got to live in his shadow, I’m going to enjoy the shade because it’s a nice shade to enjoy.’ Been very fortunate and hopefully I can do this for as long as they’ll have me around.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.