The Las Vegas Raiders appear likely to make a coaching change after the season, which could open a path for a reunion between Tom Brady and Mike Vrabel.
Videos by FanBuzz
NFL insider Tom Pelissero appeared on NFL Network Sunday morning and said that Pierce's future as head coach is "in serious doubt." He cited conversations with people around the league and then he mentioned how Brady's connections could play a role in the coaching search.
"(Owner Mark Davis) has said only that he'll evaluate everything after the season," Pelissero reported. "His minority owner Tom Brady has never been a part of anything like 3-12 and has been speaking with various people about how to get it fixed.
"...Of course, Brady's got a lot of connections around the league, including his former teammate Mike Vrabel, who is going to be a hot head coaching candidate in this cycle."
Vrabel, who won three championships with Brady as a member of the New England Patriots, secured the job as head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2018. He took over the AFC South team and led it to a winning record in his first season. However, the team missed the playoffs due to a very competitive division.
Vrabel took the Titans to the playoffs in only his second season. The 9-7 team then defeated the Patriots and top-seeded Ravens to reach the AFC Championship. The season ended with an 11-8 loss to the Chiefs.
The Titans went 11-5 in 2020 and 12-5 in 2021 but did not return to the AFC Championship. Vrabel's final two seasons in Nashville both featured losing records, which contributed to the team firing him after 2023.
Pierce, for comparison, is closing out his first full season as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. He took over as interim head coach last season after the team fired Josh McDaniels. Pierce coached the Silver and Black to a 5-4 record over the final nine games of the season, which included a Christmas day upset of the rival Kansas City Chiefs.
Davis kept Pierce as head coach after talks with Davante Adams, Josh Jacobs, and Maxx Crosby. However, this season has been full of struggles for the team.
The Raiders have won only three games while starting Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell, and Desmond Ridder as quarterbacks. Crosby missed time with an injury while Adams headed to the Jets via trade. Jacobs joined the Packers during the offseason.
Pierce's future is not set in stone. The indication is that he will not be the head coach in 2025. If the team makes a change, Vrabel could step in and try to rebuild the storied franchise.
