Luke Getsy out as Chicago Bears offensive coordinator
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After another inconsistent season from the Chicago Bears offense, the team has fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and several of his assistant coaches, but the Bears will keep Matt Eberflus as head coach heading into 2024.
In addition to Getsy, the Bears also fired quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, running backs coach Omar Young and assistant tight ends coach Tim Zetts. Eberflus said offensive line coach Chris Morgan and tight ends coach Jim Dray will stay with the team regardless of who replaces Getsy.
It marks the Bears' most drastic offensive staffing change since 2022, when Eberflus took over as head coach.
Under Getsy, while the Bears ranked 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards per game this past season, their passing attack remained among the worst in the league. The Bears ranked only 27th in passing yards per game in 2023, with 182.1, after finishing Getsy's first season in 2022 last in the NFL in passing yards per game, with 130.5.
In two years with Getsy as the offensive coordinator, the Bears failed to register better than a top-15 finish, ranking 31st in points scored in 2022 before improving to 19th in 2023. Fields found mixed results as his QB, thriving as a runner and gradually improving as a passer but also missing time due to injury and struggling to control the ball.
Eberflus said he decided to dismiss Getsy after meeting with general manager Ryan Poles, team president Kevin Warren, and team chairman George McCaskey over the past two days to evaluate the past season.
"The growth and development of the offense to me needed to be better than it was," Eberflus said.
When searching for a new offensive coordinator, Eberflus said the most important quality he will look for is someone who is a "great teacher."
"I think that's important, because he has to coach the coaches that coach the position. I think that's the number one trait of any great coach. You have to be able to have the innovation to really look at the players that you have, and be able to help enhance and put those guys in a position to succeed, and to get explosive and move the ball down the field," he said.
Poles defended his decision to keep Eberflus as head coach for 2024, despite the Bears winning only 10 games combined in his first two years. He noted the Bears improved from 3 wins in 2022 to 7 in 2023, including 5 of their last 8 games, and praised Eberflus for showing strong leadership, saying it was important for him to maintain a sense of stability heading into next season.
"I really think that the head coach needs to be able to captain the ship … when the windy seas have storms, and really keep everything settled," he said. "If he's jumping off the boat, and everyone else starts jumping off the boat, it's a hot mess. So the stability was a big piece of it."
However, Poles acknowledged "a little disappointment" with how the season went, in particular with the Bears losing three games in which they held double-digit leads in the 4th quarter.
"I wish there were some games that we finished; we were ahead, I wish we finished those games, and really took this thing to a higher level than we are now," Poles said. "I also was really proud of the steps that we did take. If you really look back and we look at the starting point, take a look at where we are today, you can't tell me you don't see the difference. We're making strong progress. We're doing it the right way. It's built on a solid foundation. It's not a house of cards. It's going to continue to go up."
Getsy's firing leaves the Bears needing to hire both new offensive and defensive coordinators for next season. Eberflus called plays for the defense most of the season in 2023, after former defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned in September. He suggested that, although he plans to bring in a new defensive coordinator for 2024, he could continue calling plays on defense.
The Bears also still have a decision to make at quarterback, after Justin Fields failed to cement himself as the long-term solution. Fields still has another year remaining on his rookie contract, and the Bears have until May to decide if they will exercise a fifth-year option for 2025, but they also hold the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, giving them their pick among top prospects Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels.
Eberflus said he's confident Fields will continue to grow as a quarterback, noting he cut down on his interceptions and sacks in the second half this year. He also said he's not worried that Fields now will be working with his third offensive coordinator in four seasons.
"Justin's very smart, very intelligent. He's able to adapt and adjust, so I don't see that being a problem at all," he said.
Poles left the door open for any possibility at quarterback, from keeping Fields as the starter, to drafting a quarterback at No. 1, to both.
"I'll just stay very wide open with the different paths that we can go," he said.
Poles also defended his decision last year to pass over quarterback C.J. Stroud in the 2023 draft and trade away the No. 1 pick instead, despite Stroud becoming a star in his first season, with 4,108 passing yards, and 23 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions, to lead the league in TD-to-INT ratio.
While the Bears stuck with Fields, who had only 2,562 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to 9 interceptions, after missing four games, Poles said he believes the Bears are in a better position with the haul he was able to get from trading the No. 1 pick to the Panthers last year.
That trade not only brought in star wide receiver D.J. Moore, but a solid rookie right tackle in Darnell Wright, a starting-caliber cornerback in Tyrique Stevenson, the No. 1 draft pick this year, and a second-round draft pick in 2025.
Poles said he remains confident the Bears have a bright future, noting they have among the most salary cap space heading into 2024, on top of owning two top 10 picks in the NFL Draft.
"I have no doubt on where this team is going," Poles said.
Eberflus echoed that sentiment.
"We're playing the long game on this. There's a long game to this," he said.
Specifically, Eberflus pointed to the key players Poles has drafted in the past two years – including cornerback Kyler Gordon, safety Jaquan Brisker, left tackle Braxton Jones in 2022; and right tackle Darnell Wright, defensive linemen Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens, and cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith in 2023 – while adding key veterans in free agency and trades – such as wide receiver D.J. Moore, linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, defensive tackle Justin Jones, defensive lineman Demarcus Walker, and Pro Bowl edge rusher Montez Sweat.