Raiders new offensive coordinator wants QBs with ‘escapability’
Luke Getsy doesn’t need a specific type of quarterback for his offense.
But the Raiders new offensive coordinator appears to prefer someone who can make plays with their feet as well as their arm.
That doesn’t mean his quarterback has to be a dynamic runner like Chicago’s Justin Fields. It’s just that a quarterback who can throw and run helps.
“You’d like to have a little bit of everything, right?” said Getsy, who was the Bears offensive coordinator for two seasons before being hired by the Raiders. “In this game, I think it’s really important that you have some type of escapability.”
Getsy said Friday that skill set is becoming an NFL requirement. Look no further than Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes had 66 rushing yards in the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory in Super Bowl 58.
“All those things are dynamics that are really important,” Getsy said. “You saw them on display in the Super Bowl, as we just saw here in Vegas the other day. That ability of both guys to create the second chance of the play is an important part of our league.”
Rookie Aidan O’Connell went 5-4 as a starter for the Raiders last season, but he’s limited in his ability to make plays with his legs.
O’Connell isn’t expected to stop the team from pursuing a quarterback upgrade this offseason. It sounds like the Raiders new offensive coordinator would welcome someone with the athleticism to extend plays.
“When you’re trying to go win games, you got to be good on third down and in the red zone,” Getsy said. “And when you’re good at those two things, it’s usually because your quarterback has some kind of cool dynamic to be able to spit the ball around.”
That said, Getsy doesn’t have a prototype of an ideal quarterback for his system. He molds his scheme based around the personnel he has. Getsy said one thing that intrigues him about this upcoming draft class is there are quarterbacks who have success in different ways.
“You try to get as many dynamic guys on your team as you can,” Getsy said. “I wouldn’t ever want to box myself into a corner with one particular style.”
The Raiders have the No. 13 pick in April’s draft. That may not be ideal to land one of the top quarterback prospects. There’s a strong chance Southern California’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Louisiana State’s Jayden Daniels go in the top three picks.
Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy could end up going in the top 10 as well. The Raiders could have to get aggressive to land the quarterback they want. It’s an impressive class, one Getsy is eager to study more.
“I haven’t gotten to that point where I could give you the evaluation on each guy, but I think that watching from afar, watching that college football season, I think that this is a pretty cool year,” Getsy said. “There’s a lot of different styles of guys.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.