It’s been one of the worst seasons in recent memory for the Las Vegas Raiders. The best record the team can finish with would be 5-13, which would be their worst win total since 2017.
Head coach Antonio Pierce was a revelation for the team last year. He replaced Josh McDaniels and led the team to a 5-4 record, including a 3-0 end to the season. However, it’s always a risky proposition to promote an interim head coach and the Raiders learned that the hard way.
Las Vegas didn’t even launch a full head coaching search in the offseason before giving Pierce the full-time job. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton went through the “8 Most Regrettable Mistakes NFL Teams Made in 2024” and he listed the Raiders hiring Pierce among them.
“Pierce was the best candidate for the job among the interviewees, but the Raiders seemingly watered down the interview process to make him the best option, which was their biggest mistake,” Moton wrote in a Dec. 30 column.
“After an embarrassing home-opening Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the 46-year-old criticized players for making “business decisions.” He liked an Instagram post suggesting Davante Adams played his last down with the Raiders before the wideout requested a trade, which raised questions about his relationship with a key player who vouched for him to get the head coaching job.”
Moton also believes that Pierce could be on his way out after the season.
“As the pilot of the Raiders’ rocky 4-12 season, Pierce looks like a one-and-done head coach in Las Vegas. If so, the team would admit it made a mistake hiring him,” Moton added.
Understandable Why Raiders Hired Antonio Pierce
In hindsight, Pierce may not have been the right man to be the Raiders’ head coach. However, it seemed like the obvious move last offseason.
The team really rallied around him after McDaniels was fired and many of the top players wanted him back. The only thing worse than Pierce flopping would’ve been if the Raiders hired somebody else and he flopped.
Nobody can really fault the Raiders for giving Pierce a chance. He showed a lot of promise last season but what has really been his downfall is not being able to put together a competent offensive coaching staff and very poor game management. Those are things that can be fixed but it remains to be seen if Las Vegas will remain patient for now.
What Will Raiders Do With Pierce?
Pierce’s days were almost numbered when the Raiders were in the midst of a 10-game losing streak. Luckily for the coach, he’s turned things around in recent weeks and has won back-to-back games.
However, both of those wins came against backup quarterbacks on bad teams. There’s only one more game left and it’s at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. The team has clinched a playoff berth but could still play starters to secure their seeding.
A win against a very good Chargers team that has Justin Herbert under center could show Mark Davis that the last two wins weren’t a fluke. Piere could be coaching for his job on Sunday.
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