Antonio Pierce joins the Raiders as a full-time head coach.

 

 

The acting head coach is continuing to wear silver and black this time.
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.

Pierce’s hiring was confirmed by the team later on Friday.

Pierce was hired after leading the Raiders to a 5-4 season finale in 2023 while serving as Josh McDaniels’ temporary head coach.

Taking care of the offensive side of the ball will be among Pierce’s first main responsibilities. The majority of coaches, including interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree, won’t be kept on, according to Rapoport.

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.

This past season, Pierce quickly gained the respect of the locker room by adopting the Raider style and his silver and black swagger. He led them to historic wins, including a thrilling victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, a 63-21 thumping of the Los Angeles Chargers, and a victory over the New York Giants in his playing debut.

The 45-year-old, who has no prior NFL coaching experience, assumed his interim position. Pierce was in his second season with the team as the linebackers coach before taking over as head coach of the Raiders for the last nine games of the previous campaign. Before that, Pierce had served as the head coach of Long Beach Poly High School in California before joining Arizona State as a defensive assistant and coordinator.

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.

Players like Max Crosby and Daavante 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.

The quarterback will need to make a decision. The Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo, who had a past with McDaniels, prior to the 2023 season. Garoppolo’s 2024 cap number is $28.5 million, with a guaranteed $11.25 million. Although the first-year quarterback showed promise, Pierce decided to start Aidan O’Connell, a rookie, and he isn’t the clear choice to lead the attack.

Josh Jacobs, the running back who had a quad injury at the close of the season, is also a free agent soon to be signed.

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 team back to its winning ways from the previous autumn, when the Raiders consistently prevailed.