Oct 10, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders helmet before the game against Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports.
Remember Norv Turner? Yes, he’s still around — evidently.
The former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator has resurfaced and will take on a role with the embattled Las Vegas Raiders.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Tuesday amid the Raiders’ total descent into 2024 irrelevance: “The Raiders are hiring one of the NFL’s most respected offensive minds, bringing in Norv Turner as an assistant to help guide their offense, per me, Mike Garafolo, and Tom Pelissero. The ex-Raiders HC is back with the team, as his son Scott takes a more prominent role, too.”
The Las Vegas stop will mark Turner’s first NFL work in five years. Most thought he had retired.
Here’s Turner’s lengthy NFL resume to date:
— Los Angeles Rams (1985–1990)
Wide receivers coach
— Dallas Cowboys (1991–1993)
Offensive coordinator
— Washington Redskins (1994–2000)
Head coach
— San Diego Chargers (2001)
Offensive coordinator
— Miami Dolphins (2002–2003)
Offensive coordinator
— Oakland Raiders (2004–2005)
Head coach
— San Francisco 49ers (2006)
Offensive coordinator
— San Diego Chargers (2007–2012)
Head coach
— Cleveland Browns (2013)
Offensive coordinator
— Minnesota Vikings (2014–2016)
Offensive coordinator
— Carolina Panthers (2018–2019)
Offensive coordinator
— Carolina Panthers (2019)
Special assistant to the Head Coach
— Las Vegas Raiders (2024–present)
Offensive consultant
The man has seen some things.
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones predicted the Turner move on Monday, one day before its fruition: “Following the three offensive firings last night, the Raiders are considering bringing on veteran NFL coach Norv Turner in some role with the offense, source says. Scott Turner, his son, remains the leading candidate to be offensive coordinator.”
Turner joins a Raiders club in utter peril, recently firing offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello, and offensive line coach James Cregg. The upheaval arrives as the Raiders encounter a bye week, accompanied by a horrid 2-7 record, the league’s 32nd-ranked offense per EPA/Play, and the 19th-ranked defense.
The organization is rudderless and also doesn’t know which quarterback will start in Week 11. Gardner Minshew started last weekend in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Desmond Ridder just joined via trade, and second-year passer Aidan O’Connell is on injured reserve.
Turner made his name famous in the early 1990s, offensively coordinating the Dallas Cowboys to its dynastic run. He later accepted head coaching jobs where his win-loss mark rarely topped .500.
The 72-year-old served as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator at the dawn of the Mike Zimmer era, though Turner unceremoniously departed in the middle of the 2016 campaign amid rumors of strife with Zimmer.
The Raiders are nearing mathematic elimination from the postseason.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.