After the team is hired as head coach, the Raiders remove the interim designation.
Mark Davis may have waited to see whether the Las Vegas Raiders could entice a coach from an exceptionally large pool of available candidates.
Furthermore, the Raiders owner decided Antonio Pierce had accomplished enough since taking over as interim coach on Halloween night to warrant a full-time position, despite the fact that his résumé was not very impressive.
The Raiders crossed off the phrase “interim” in a post on X, the social media site that was once known as Twitter, to announce the appointment of Pierce as their new coach on Friday. Together with Art Shell, Tom Cable, and Marty Feldman, he is the fourth interim coach the Raiders have promoted.
Pierce, 45, replaced fired coach Josh McDaniels as temporary head coach. Under his leadership, the Raiders finished 8-9 overall and 5-4 on the field.
Las Vegas tackle Jermaine Eluemunor wrote on X, “Can’t think of anyone more deserving.” “In Vegas, there is only one way that matters: the Raider way.”
This is true even if Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, and Mike Vrabel are available, and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has had several NFL interviews after guiding the Wolverines to the collegiate national title.
Two years before, Davis made an outside choice in McDaniels instead of player favourite Rich Bisaccia, and the Raiders made an unexpected late charge to the postseason.
The issue was whether Pierce’s early support from his teammates persuaded Davis to employ him, similar to Bisaccia’s. Thus, all of the players—including standout defensive end Maxx Crosby—kept up the pressure. This week, he said that “nothing is off the table” on his end in the event that Pierce is not employed on his podcast, “The Rush with Maxx Crosby.”
On his podcast, Crosby said, “AP doesn’t have a lot of head coaching experience, but the reality is he’s come in and helped change the culture.” He has improved our team’s performance overall and helped us win games. He has also elevated our defence to a new level. We need only a few more components to be competitive. That’s how we all feel. We believe that we ought to be participating in the playoffs this next weekend.
Pierce also gained the support of many fans. As the time ran out in the season-ending 27-14 win against the Denver Broncos, the fans screamed “AP!”
It will be Pierce’s responsibility to bring back a championship legacy that includes three Vince Lombardi trophies to a once-famous team that has missed the postseason in 19 of the last 21 seasons.
It was against NFL employment rules for Davis to hire Pierce without first following the league-mandated procedure. To meet the Rooney rule, Davis needed to conduct in-person interviews with a minimum of two external minority and/or female applicants. That was what he did.
The Raiders had an interview with Leslie Frazier, the former defensive coordinator for Buffalo. According to ESPN, the team also spoke with Kris Richard, a former co-defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints.
This hiring cycle, Pierce is the second Black coach to gain a top position. To replace Belichick, the New England Patriots promoted Jerod Mayo.
There isn’t another NFL club with a Black president, general manager, or coach save the Raiders. But in Champ Kelly’s case, the GM is just temporary, and he may eventually get a full-time position. Long seen as a top contender for the job, Kelly’s lack of announcement with Pierce’s hiring begs some concerns.
It is likely that Davis is restructuring the front office, which may still involve Kelly, since he previously said to The Athletic that he has considered hiring a director of football operations.
Pierce will have to make choices about his staff, and it’s probable that he will examine his offence closely. Mick Lombardi’s midseason firing left Bo Hardegree as the offensive coordinator in interim, but it’s possible—possibly even likely—that Pierce leaves the team to take the position of offensive coordinator.
Beyond that, Pierce will have to collaborate with the next general manager on matters pertaining to personnel, such as quarterbacking decisions. Pierce made Aidan O’Connell a rookie starter. Though he became better as the season went on, questions remained about whether the team needed a franchise quarterback. With the 13th selection in this year’s draft, the Raiders are probably not going to choose any of the elite quarterbacks.
Josh Jacobs, the running back, will also need to have his future decided. Following his 2022 NFL rush record-setting season, Jacobs and the Raiders’ application for the franchise tag sparked a contract disagreement. After training camp, the two parties decided on a one-year contract. This season, Jacobs’ output decreased from 1,653 yards to 805 yards, and he missed the last month due to a quadriceps ailment.
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