Las Vegas Raiders Can’t Afford to Repeat Past Mistake With Antonio Pierce

Raucous chants of “A.P.” A.P.” A.P.” rang inside Allegiant Stadium as the man they were directed toward, Las Vegas Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce, raced toward the end zone moments after a season-closing 27-14 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Pierce greeted the Raider faithful, throwing his hands in the air to rile up the fans even more.

The 45-year-old lingered on the turf, savoring each cheer, before going to the locker room.

“What if I’m not here next year?” Pierce asked at his postgame press conference. “I didn’t want to let that moment go by.”

And that’s the big question. The Raiders find themselves in the position of naming a permanent head coach after parting ways with their leader midseason, only to have an interim coach turn things around and make a playoff push.

Sound familiar? It should.

When the silver and black axed Jon Gruden after five games during the 2021 season, amid a surge of controversial leaked emails, Vegas appointed special teams coach/assistant head coach Rich Bisaccia to the interim role. And he didn’t disappoint.

Bisaccia went 7-5, securing a playoff berth, and coming within seven points of a postseason win. Still, despite endorsements within the locker room to give Bisaccia the permanent job, the Raiders opted to hire Josh McDaniels, who was cut loose after just 25 games.

Now the Raiders have arrived at another crucial point. And they can’t afford to repeat history.

Pierce, who was in his second season as the team’s linebackers coach, was promoted into the interim role after McDaniels’ firing on November 1. The Raiders, who finished 8-9, were just 3-5, being outscored by eight points per game, and had failed to score more than 21 points in any contest when the Compton native took over. Then, things changed.

Vegas went 5-4 under Pierce’s leadership. Three of the Raiders’ losses in that span were by seven points or fewer, with the lone exception being a 14-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs—a defeat that was avenged during a Christmas Day rematch.

Two NFL head coaches were fired on “Black Monday,” bumping it up to five top openings across the league, including the Raiders.

But Pierce hopes Vegas’ is filled soon.

“I would never use the word ‘deserved,'” Pierce said Monday. “Hopefully I’ve earned it.

“I think I really know where everyone stands in this building. I don’t need to express it, they can express it. That’s up to them. They know where I want to be. Hopefully they see the hard work and the effort I’ve put in to try and make this the best organization it can be in the National Football League.”

During his Monday press conference, Pierce said he will let his agent handle interview requests from any other teams who might be interested in the former Pro Bowl linebacker. Pierce is a Raider, he said, until he’s not.

The interim coach also pushed back at the notion that he doesn’t have enough X’s and O’s experience to lead a franchise full time. Pierce’s only coaching experience prior to the past two seasons came at the high school and college levels. Still, the nine-year NFL veteran used his professional experience to spotlight his knowledge of the game while also saying his job is to put the Raiders in the best position possible to win games. That, he said, includes delegating to coordinators when needed.

And if anyone doubts that Pierce is the right person for the job, just talk to Raiders players.

“It’s like, ‘Damn, I wish we had this for the full season,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said Sunday, via The Athletic. “And we have the opportunity to do that now, so why the [expletive] would you ruin that?

“People have their opinions, but I feel like with the way we play, you feel it, you can see it and you can hear it. It’s a different brand of football and that’s what Raider football is all about. We’ve got to bring him back. We’ve got the right guy leading us, we’ve just got to keep him.”

Added receiver Davante Adams: “You hear the fans, you hear the crowd and the way they respond to it and it’s clear that he’s changed the culture. Definitely deserves it.”

In an interview with ESPN over the weekend, Raiders owner Mark Davis said he was “really excited” about the job Pierce did down the stretch.

Still, there is no timeframe in naming a full-time coach. Davis noted that he will set up interviews, at least two of which must be with external minority candidates to comply with the Rooney Rule. There are plenty of candidates out there for the Raiders job. Just as there were when Davis hired McDaniels. That move ended up setting Vegas back.

This time, the franchise shouldn’t have to look far to see its solution and prevent the same mistake.