Antonio Pierce gets no love from NFL executives

After an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions, the Las Vegas Raiders struggled at 3–5. Mark Davis fired Josh McDaniels and appointed Antonio Pierce as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Pierce finished the season with a 5–4 record, including the last victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, which helped him land the head coaching position full-time and lead the Raiders into the future. Pierce, a former linebacker for the New York Giants, wasn’t the only coach hired this offseason; seven other coaches were also hired to bring in new blood to the teams. The Athletic polled NFL executives about the best hires of the coaching cycle, and the executives voted. Surprisingly, Pierce didn’t receive a vote from any executive.

Pierce is different from the average head coach, which plays a factor in how executives view him. The Raiders’ head coach will continue to be unique, and the locker room has gravitated to his presence as a leader.

NFL executives don’t believe it yet, but we will see when the pads are on in September.