3 Candidates who could replace Antonio Pierce as Raiders head coach

Any enthusiasm surrounding Antonio Pierce as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach has quickly dissipated. He was very impressive in the interim role last year but has looked completely out of his depth now that he has the full-time job.

Look, many of us drank the Pierce Kool-Aid but in hindsight, it was always a bad idea to hire him. Interim head coaches who get promoted have never been successful and Pierce had just two years of NFL coaching experience prior to this season.

The Raiders are having their worst season since 2014 and Mark Davis can't ignore it. Pierce will likely be shown the door this offseason but luckily, there are some good candidates out there to take over. We're going to go through which one would be the best fit.

Avoid at all costs: Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden and Kliff Kingsbury

All three of these coaches have had varying levels of success but the Raiders shouldn't go with any of these re-treads. Belichick might be the greatest coach ever, but he's 72 and the team already tried the Patriot Way with Josh McDaniels.

Gruden proved that he no longer can run an NFL team so the Raiders trying that out again would be a massive mistake. Kingsbury's teams are always great to start a season but fall off in the second half. If somebody shows you who they are, believe them.

Honorable mention: Joe Brady

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady is super interesting. He's clearly a great offensive mind and has already been looked at for head coaching jobs in the past. However, he's only 35 and it's hard to imagine the Raiders will replace a coach that players really like with somebody so young.

3. Liam Coen, Buccaneers OC

Liam Coen has probably been the fastest riser among head coaching candidates. Any experienced playcaller can have success when they have a stacked offense with an elite quarterback. What really makes a coach impressive is when they can take less talent and still be effective.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have dealt with major injuries to wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, who are their two best offensive weapons. Despite that, the team has a top-five scoring offense in the NFL. He's also doing it with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, who is very good but not close to elite.

Coen also spent several years working under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams. Former McVay offensive assistants who get head coaching jobs have had a lot of success. Just look at Matt LaFleur, Kevin O'Connell and Zac Taylor. If the Raiders want an offensive-minded head coach to help develop a rookie quarterback, Coen is one of the best options out there.

2. Mike Vrabel, Browns consultant

Mike Vrabel is the obvious choice to be the next Raiders head coach and this is who I would likely predict to take the job. He's very close with Tom Brady and has a proven track record of success as a head coach.

There are some concerns with him. When he hasn't had a very good offensive coordinator, his teams aren't nearly as good. That said, he got the No. 1 seed in the AFC with Ryan Tannehill as his starting quarterback so he certainly knows what he's doing.

Vrabel would be a guy who can navigate the transition from Pierce with ease and would bring a level of toughness to the team that's been lacking. With a young quarterback coming in, I'd always prefer an offensive-minded head coach but the Raiders can do far worse than Vrabel.

1. Ben Johnson, Lions OC

I almost didn't include Ben Johnson as I don't think he'd even consider the Raiders but it's hard to ignore his resume. The Lions' offense is a powerhouse. They are No. 1 in scoring and seem to put up huge numbers every week.

Johnson is a very big reason for that. They've given him a lot of talent to work with and he hasn't wasted it. He's a brilliant playcaller and play designer. The only concern with him is that he may be a better coordinator than a head coach but we can't really know that until he gets a chance.

Giving Johnson an exciting young quarterback like Shedeur Sanders to work with would inject some life into a fan base that has essentially given up on the idea that the Raiders would ever be good again. If the team could convince Johnson to come to Las Vegas, that would be a major sign that better days are ahead.