Raiders rumors: Add Atlanta Falcons as potential suitors for Antonio Pierce

During the 2023 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders made the move to fire Josh McDaniels as their head coach after an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions. The firing, done on Halloween night, opened the door for Mark Davis to name Antonio Pierce interim head coach, a move that has had major ripple effects ever since.

Pierce not only took over the team as interim head coach, but became the leader of this franchise, earning the respect of the players and fans. He led the team with a fiery passion, and the Raiders improved down the stretch, going 5-4 to cap their season.

Going into this offseason, the support for Pierce to shed the interim label and be the team's full-time coach has grown louder and louder. Maxx Crosby has even said he could explore a trade if Pierce is not brought back, and when your best player is making those kinds of statements, you have to take a serious look at Pierce as head coach.

However, the Raiders are not the only ones looking at Pierce for their vacant head coaching job.

Raiders have competition from Atlanta and Tennessee

We already know that the Tennessee Titans interviewed Pierce this weekend, even as he has emerged as the front-runner to get the job in Las Vegas. Pierce is not your ordinary interim head coach, as teams are looking for leaders of men to take over these jobs, much like Dan Campbell did in Detroit.

Going forward, there will be more competition for Pierce's services, as one more team emerged on Sunday morning. According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the Atlanta Falcons are now in the mix as well.

The Falcons are an interesting suitor for Pierce, as they have some solid pieces on their roster, and play in a very winnable division in the NFC South. Right now, the fan base is on the edge of their seats wondering what Davis will do at both general manager and head coach, and while they have interviewed numerous GMs, they have yet to interview a head coach.

Pierce let his coaching do the talking this past season, beating all three AFC West teams down the stretch, including the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. Naming him the team's head coach for 2024 seems like a no-brainer, but this is Davis we are talking about, so you never know what will happen over the next few days.