Raiders hire Antonio Pierce as full-time head coach
According to sources, Antonio Pierce has reached an agreement to become the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, as reported by NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo on Friday.
Later on Friday, the team declared Pierce employed.
Pierce was hired after leading the Raiders to a 5-4 season finale in 2023 while serving as Josh McDaniels’ temporary head coach.
Addressing the offensive side of the ball will be among Pierce’s first significant responsibilities, since Rapoport revealed that the majority of coaches—including interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree—won’t be kept on.
Owner Mark Davis made the decision to employ McDaniels two years ago instead of sticking with Rich Bisaccia, the interim coach at the time who had energized the squad and led it to a postseason spot. This time, Davis has made the decision to elevate his interim coach to the position of permanent head coach of the Raiders. By doing this, Davis has made Pierce only the third interim head coach in the previous ten seasons (Mike Mularkey, Tennessee Titans; Doug Marrone, Jacksonville Jaguars) to take over as the team’s full-time coach the following season.
The Titans and Atlanta Falcons were also interested in hiring Pierce to take over as head coach, but it was inevitable that he would stay in Las Vegas.
Adopting the Raider way and Silver and Black swagger, Pierce quickly won over the locker room this past season, leading them to memorable victories like a victory in his NFL debut against the New York Giants, a 63-21 thumping of the Los Angeles Chargers, and a thrilling victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The 45-year-old, who had little prior NFL coaching experience, took on his interim role with little time to spare. Before taking over as the Raiders’ linebackers coach for the last nine games of the previous season, Pierce was in the midst of his second season with the team as their linebackers coach. Before that, Pierce was a defensive assistant and coordinator at Arizona State, having previously served as the head coach of Long Beach Poly High School in California.
From 2001 to 2009, Pierce played nine seasons as an NFL linebacker for the Washington and New York Giants. He was a tough player who was invited to the Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl.
He demonstrated in his brief tenure with the Raiders that he was the complete antithesis of McDaniels, giving the team vigor, loudness, and swagger.
Pros like Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams have expressed their support for Pierce. Pierce should have a smoother start as a result, but he still has a lot of work ahead of him.
Quarterback will need to make a decision. The Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo, who was close to McDaniels, before the 2023 season. Garoppolo’s 2024 cap number is $28.5 million, with a guaranteed $11.25 million. Pierce chose a rookie With Aidan O’Connell starting, the first-year quarterback showed promise, but he isn’t the clear pick to lead the attack.
Josh Jacobs, the running back who had a quad injury at the close of the season, will also soon become a free agent.
Over the previous 21 seasons, Las Vegas has only made it to the playoffs twice and hasn’t won a division title or a playoff game since 2002.
During his temporary tenure, Pierce revitalized both the Raiders players and the fan base.
Now that he has gained a full-time position, he will try to get the Raiders back to their winning ways from earlier seasons, when they consistently prevailed.
