Many Las Vegas Raiders players, including Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams have shown their public support for the job Antonio Pierce has done since becoming interim head coach. For good reason too, as Pierce’s 4-4 record looks much better than the 3-5 mark Josh McDaniels was at, especially considering he didn’t have an entire offseason to prepare and was just thrust into the spotlight mid-season.
The truth is, Pierce will likely receive heavy consideration to be hired as the full-time head coach of the Raiders, but as fans have seen before, just because an interim has seemingly won over the locker room, it doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to stay. Just ask Rich Bisaccia how that worked out. While the Raiders do seem high on Pierce, they also haven’t come out and said, “He’s our head coach for the 2024 season.”
With one more game to play, Pierce’s fate may still be undecided, but a recent report may indicate that the Raiders will try and look elsewhere first.
Related: Mark Davis expected to ‘take a swing or two’ at big names before settling on Antonio Pierce for Las Vegas Raiders head coaching position
Antonio Pierce doesn’t appear to be Las Vegas Raiders’ top option
Hiring Pierce to become the full-time head coach isn’t as easy as just saying he has the job, which may be the strongest reason why no one in the front office has made any definitive statements just yet.
Before the Raiders hire Pierce, or anyone else for that matter, they must comply with the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate before making a final decision. This means the Raiders must interview at least one other candidate in addition to Pierce.
Yet, another odd sequence recently occurred within the Raiders’ organization. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders held a team meeting earlier this week, where Las Vegas coaches and staffers were told they wouldn’t be prevented from pursuing other jobs this offseason.
Typically, a team that has already made it’s mind up on its future leaders would want to ensure those same staff members remain in place. That doesn’t seem to be the case in Las Vegas. Is that a potential sign that Pierce will truly have to win over the Raiders’ top decision-makers?
Maybe. Or maybe it’s just the result of many leftover members remaining from the staff of Josh McDaniels. After all, Pierce didn’t get to start over when he got the job, he just started taking leadership with who was already there. Most coaches prefer to find their own personnel members. Perhaps that’s what’s taking place here too.
Yet, Schefter also goes out of his way to point out that, despite previous reports, Mark Davis “doesn’t care about the money he owes” the past three coaches he’s hired. His sole goal is to get this hire right and get the Raiders back on track to reach the playoffs and then some.
Is Pierce the right man for the job? Many have already made their minds up, but by some accounts, it doesn’t appear the Raiders are in that boat, depending on how you read the tea leaves.
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