Antonio Pierce named the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have their next head coach and they are staying in-house to do it.
Per multiple reports on Friday, the Raiders are set to promote interim coach Antonio Pierce to head coach with an official announcement coming soon. NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport both confirmed the reports on Thursday.
Raiders working on deal with Antonio Pierce to remain as head coach.
(via @MikeGarafolo + @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/91nzXKOvzm
— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2024
After the Raiders fired Josh McDaniels mid-season, Pierce took over as the interim. From there, the Raiders went 5-4 under Antonio Pierce. That included a big 63-21 win over Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football and an upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
While the Raiders didn’t make the playoffs, it was clear that the players loved playing for him. That included Maxx Crosby who left his options open in terms of a trade if the team didn’t hire pierce. Now, the Raiders won’t have to worry about that and the mood appears to be great in Los Angeles.
NFL Network wrote on the players speaking out for Pierce:
In his short time with the Raiders, he proved to be the polar opposite of McDaniels, bringing energy, volume and swagger to the club.
Players such as Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby have voiced their support for Pierce. It should make for a smoother start for Pierce, but he has plenty of work ahead.
Pierce and the Raiders now go into a very important offseason for the franchise. They have to find a franchise quarterback and build around key pieces already on the roster.
