The Las Vegas Raiders are the latest team to hire their next head coach, and it's a familiar face—former interim head coach Antonio Pierce.
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The new #Raiders coach: Antonio Pierce.
Players will be psyched. And now Maxx Crosby doesn’t need to ask to be traded. pic.twitter.com/x3UrMKfMtu
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 19, 2024
Pierce, 45, took over mid-season after the Raiders fired former head coach Josh McDaniels. Pierce was initially hired in 2022 by McDaniels to be the linebackers coach.
On Oct. 31, 2023, the Raiders moved from McDaniels, giving Pierce the interim title. He made his coaching debut on Nov. 5, 2023, against his former team that he played for, the New York Giants. The Raiders won 30-6.
Over a month later, the Raiders had a massive win over the Los Angeles Chargers, 63-21. Following the game, the Chargers fired their head coach, Brandon Staley.
When Pierce took over, the team was 3-5, coming off a 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions.
He finished the season going 5-4, with wins over the Giants, New York Jets, Chargers, Denver Broncos, and a massive road win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
Following their losses to the Indianapolis Colts on New Year's Eve, the Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention but finished the year with an 8-9 record—a far cry from their 3-5 mark when Pierce took over.
The consensus around the Raiders locker room was they wanted Pierce back as head coach.
Star edge rusher Maxx Crosby reportedly was going to seek a trade out of Las Vegas if Pierce wasn't retained, but all of that can be put to rest now.
Based on the known candidates who interviewed for the #Raiders HC job, it seems like it was Antonio Pierce all the way.
Locker room gotta be happy about this, and we can put the Maxx Crosby trade chatter to bed.
Maybe Josh Jacobs’ Raiders tenure isn’t over yet?
— Moe Moton (@MoeMoton) January 19, 2024
The Raiders hold the No. 13 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and this could be a spot for Pierce to select his guy at the quarterback position with Aidan O'Connell, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Brian Hoyer on the depth chart.
Now, we look ahead to the 2024-24 Raiders with Pierce at the helm to see if they can push for a playoff appearance and their first postseason win since 2002.
