Report: Las Vegas Raiders ‘working to finalize’ Antonio Pierce as new head coach
The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to strip Antonio Pierce of the interim tag and are finalizing a deal to hire him as the franchise’s official head coach, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter was among the first to report Friday.
After former Raiders Josh McDaniels was fired midseason, Pierce became the interim head coach, leading the team to a 5-4 record over the second half of the season. They won three of their final four games over the Los Angeles Chargers–the highlight of the season considering it was a 63-21 blowout–Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. The players played exceptionally hard under Pierce, signifying that he won the locker room, which couldn’t have gone unnoticed in the nine-game sample.
Under his guidance, Las Vegas’ defense sported the NFL’s second-best EPA/play–trailing only the Cleveland Browns–despite ranking No. 23 in offensive EPA/play with rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell starting behind center. Star EDGE rusher Maxx Crosby also wanted Pierce to return and reportedly would’ve requested a trade if Pierce didn’t come back. That matters.
Pierce was also requested for interviews for the Titans and Falcons head coaching positions but was the favorite for the Raiders’ job up until Friday’s news. The 45-year-old was in the second season of being the organization’s linebacker coach after spending four combined seasons as Arizona State’s linebacker coach and defensive coordinator.
The Raiders own the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, in between the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints. Las Vegas still doesn’t have a general manager, which will be the primary focus for the next several days as the draft is just over three months away with free agency in March.
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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.
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