RB Ameer Abdullah on How Raiders' New Offense Benefits Him

The Las Vegas Raiders have a new offensive coordinator and scheme. Veteran running back Ameer Abdullah feels Luke Getsy's offense plays to his strengths.

Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (8) returns a kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

After rushing for over 5,500 yards with the Las Vegas Raiders, the departure of running back Josh Jacobs to the Green Bay Packers in free agency means the Las Vegas Raiders will start a season with a different starting running back for the first time since 2019. Jacobs left the Raiders as one of the leading rushers in franchise history. 

Still, the National Football League is a business. Jacobs and the Raiders couldn’t agree to terms on a deal, and General Manager Tom Telesco decided to do what was best for the Raiders long-term, deciding against giving Jacobs the kind of contract he was searching for. 

The Raiders prepared years in advance for Jacobs’ departure by drafting running back Zamir White during the offseason before Jacobs’ contract year. They added veteran running back Ameer Abdullah that same offseason, giving themselves two talented running backs behind Jacobs. White and Abdullah would see few carries as Jacobs received most of the workload.

Jacobs is gone, and the Raiders have a new offensive coordinator and scheme. Abdullah, entering his 12th season in the NFL, says he feels that Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy’s scheme plays to his strengths in multiple ways.

“[In Luke Getsy’s offense,] you can be in a number of positions,” Abdullah said. “You can be out wide, you can be in the backfield. You can be in the slot. You can be motioning a lot. You can be integrated into a lot of different schemes. The screen game. Obviously, the run game and the passing game. I tip my hat to [Luke] Getsy. He really understands how to use guys. I think it’s going to be really interesting once we get everybody healthy and everyone out there, and we kind of find our flow through probably the first two or three games, I would say. It will be interesting to see how I get incorporated into the game.”

The Raiders have an underrated backfield filled with backs who all do different things well. As the Raiders go from an offensive scheme that prioritized one running back to one that values variety at the position, and considering his ability to contribute on special teams, Abdullah has the chance to help the Raiders offense in more ways than one.

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