Raiders rumors: Antonio Pierce picking up steam as next Las Vegas head coach

After taking over for Josh McDaniels as the interim head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Antonio Pierce certainly put his stamp on the team. The Raiders won five of his nine games as head coach, and in the process, took down all three AFC West rivals, including the Kansas City Chiefs on the road late in the season.

However, as an interim head coach, Pierce has had to wait these last few weeks to see if team owner Mark Davis would remove the interim tag and hand the keys to the car to him. While Pierce had no head coach experience before being named the interim head coach, he proved he can lead men, and that is something the Raiders have lacked since Rich Bisaccia's tenure a few years back.

Now, it seems like Pierce to the Raiders is about to happen.

Dan Graziano, a senior NFL reporter for ESPN feels (Pay Wall) Pierce to the Raiders is imminent, even with them interviewing other candidates, and other teams bringing him in for interviews. Pierce won over the locker room and fans during his nine-game run as interim head coach, and that was not lost on Mark Davis.

Since the end of the season, we have seen multiple posts from Raiders players supporting Pierce, with the biggest name being Maxx Crosby. The all-world defensive end has even spoke of entertaining a trade if Pierce is not brought back in a full-time role, which would be devastating to a Las Vegas defense that is trending in the right direction.

Raiders can name a GM or HC any day now

The Raiders did their due diligence when it comes to hiring a new general manager or head coach, and are now free to name their new personnel any day now. For Raiders fans, the hiring of Pierce, and even general manager Champ Kelly feels like a formality at this point, and now the wait begins to see if Davis makes it official.

The Raiders have always looked to make a big splash when it comes to the head coaching spot, and while Pierce may not bring the headlines like Jim Harbaugh or even Bill Belichick, I believe this is his team, and he has earned the right to lead them in 2024. Hopefully, Davis can read the room and make it official sooner than later.

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