Raiders poised to remove interim tag from coach Antonio Pierce
Jan 19, 2024, 5:22 PM
Like the three coaches before him, Antonio Pierce found success against the Broncos. In the last game of his interim stint as Raiders head coach, he guided his team to a 27-14 season-ending win, extending Denver’s losing streak in the series to eight games while ensuring that Las Vegas remains more like “Loss Vegas” for the Broncos, who are 0-for-Nevada since the Raiders’ 2020 relocation from Oakland.
But it was more than that for Antonio Pierce. After taking over from the fired Josh McDaniels at midseason, Pierce stabilized the Raiders. They went 5-4 on his watch after a 3-5 start to the season, which followed a 6-11 season in 2022. That improved form — along with a Christmas Day upset at Kansas City — helped compel the Raiders to stay the course with Pierce.
According to multiple reports, Pierce and the Raiders agreed to terms Friday.
After the Jan. 7 win over the Broncos, Raiders players campaigned for Pierce to keep the position on a more permanent basis. But another factor in Pierce’s favor appears to be Raiders owner Mark Davis’ previous experience.
In 2021, he declined to retain interim coach Rich Bisaccia — even though Las Vegas went 7-5 after parting ways with Jon Gruden following the release of emails from Gruden that included misogynistic and homophobic language. Las Vegas even managed to make the playoffs before narrowly falling at eventual AFC champion Cincinnati.
Despite that — and players’ advocacy for Bisaccia to keep the job — Davis brought in McDaniels and Dave Ziegler as coach and general manager, respectively. The Raiders went 9-16 with them before Davis fired both, installing Pierce as interim head coach and former Broncos executive Champ Kelly as interim general manager.
Now, Davis is doing the opposite of what knocked the Raiders off a playoff trajectory.
DAUNTING DIVISION FOR ANTONIO PIERCE?
Antonio Pierce could find himself swimming with coaching sharks. Both Andy Reid of Kansas City and Denver’s Sean Payton have Super Bowl wins to their name. Reid has 25 seasons as an NFL head coach to his name; Payton has 17 to his. You don’t last in that position without having some chops.
But it’s also the Los Angeles Chargers’ potential hire of Jim Harbaugh that could take things to another level. In Harbaugh’s last NFL head-coaching stint, he guided the 49ers to three-straight NFC Championship Game appearances and one Super Bowl bid.
Pierce would be the only first-time head coach in the AFC West. But the Raiders believe in him — and didn’t want to make the mistake they did with Bisaccia.
