Mark Davis regretted passing on interim HC Rich Bisaccia two years ago. The owner is not going to let Antonio Pierce go. The Raiders and Pierce are finalizing an agreement for the linebackers coach-turned-interim leader to become the franchise’s full-time head coach, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. A deal is now in place, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Pierce’s experience level will make this one of the most shocking HC ascensions in modern NFL history, but Raiders players — in an effort Maxx Crosby spearheaded — lobbied for Davis to elevate Pierce to the full-time role. The former Super Bowl-winning linebacker was viewed as the favorite following Crosby’s threat at requesting a trade in the event the Raiders went in another direction; Pierce is now on the doorstep of making a major climb. This probably goes without saying in light of Friday’s developments, but SI.com’s Albert Breer notes Davis placed a premium on his players’ views of the matter this time around. Per his X account, Crosby appears excited about this decision.
Pierce, 45, will become the first interim HC moved to a permanent post since the Jaguars removed Doug Marrone‘s interim tag in 2017. Teams passing on an interim leader in order to hire a flashier option has been the modern NFL norm, and far more experienced options compared to Pierce — Bisaccia included — have come and gone. While Davis greenlighting a former Josh McDaniels assistant to take over less than three months after he pulled the plug on the McDaniels era 1 1/2 seasons in, Pierce went 5-4 as interim HC and became wildly popular with Raider players.
Other teams had noticed Pierce as well. The Falcons and Titans sent out interview requests; the then-temporary Raiders leader interviewed with the Titans virtually last week. As the interest escalated, the Raiders are making one of the bolder HC moves in NFL history.
A GM will now need to be hired, and interim leader Champ Kelly having sat in on HC interviews points to the Raiders giving strong consideration to keeping their end-of-season setup in place. Though, other candidates will need to be interviewed to comply with the Rooney Rule. Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds is viewed as a threat to Kelly’s grip on the job, with the Raiders not viewing Kelly-Pierce as a package deal. Kelly is believed to be meeting with Raiders brass today, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. The Raiders have already met with Kelly twice during this cycle.
Pierce’s former Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin, is set to help his ex-pupil assemble a staff, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Coughlin was among the coaches who helped Pierce once the Raiders made him interim HC. One name who is expected to be on Pierce’s next Raiders staff: Marvin Lewis. The former Bengals HC, who coached with Pierce at Arizona State and joined Coughlin and Adam Gase in helping the unseasoned leader during the season, is on track to be a Las Vegas full-timer, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.
Pierce is less than two years removed from resigning from his co-defensive coordinator post at Arizona State amid an NCAA recruiting investigation. He spent four years with the Sun Devils, moving to the co-DC role in 2020, before McDaniels brought him aboard as Raiders linebackers coach shortly after his Arizona exit. As recently as 2017, Pierce was the head coach of Long Beach Poly High.
That said, Pierce’s coaching experience does not trail new Patriots HC Jerod Mayo‘s by too much. While Mayo has been viewed as the Bill Belichick heir apparent for at least two years, he only began work as a full-time Patriots staffer in 2019. This HC hiring period has featured 2000s and 2010s linebackers take starring roles.
Still, Davis passing on at least interviewing higher-profile coaching options — considering those now available — is rather surprising. The Raiders’ search committee only met with ex-Bills DC Leslie Frazier and former Seahawks and Saints DC Kris Richard. Those two meetings satisfied the Rooney Rule. Although Pierce is also Black, this process reminds of when Davis went through with only Rooney Rule interviews as he brought back Jon Gruden in 2018. The Raiders will pass on efforts to interview Belichick, ex-Oakland assistant Jim Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel. While a Raiders Harbaugh push was rumored, Pierce quickly seized the lead here.
As Pierce takes the unusual route of rising to a head coach position without being a college head coach or an NFL coordinator, he will be assembling a new staff. Most of Pierce’s offensive staff will not be retained, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Raiders fired OC Mick Lombardi soon after they canned McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler on November 1, installing Bo Hardegree as their offensive play-caller. Hardegree is among the staffers not expected to stay in Las Vegas, per Rapoport. Considering Pierce was elevated to the interim job instead of DC Patrick Graham, it would surprise if the latter stayed on as well.
Momentum crested for Pierce to be hired after the Raiders upended the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas Day. That came just after the team bashed the Chargers, leading them to fire their HC-GM combo, in a 63-21 rout. Behind Pierce and Graham, the Raiders finished in the top half of the league in scoring defense for the first time since the 2002 Super Bowl season. Graham’s unit ranked ninth, which came after Vegas’ 2022 defense finished 26th.
The team finished 8-9 despite Aidan O’Connell largely struggling in his second-half audition; the team ranked 23rd in points scored and 27th in total offense. The Raiders’ to-be-determined GM should be expected to make a genuine quarterback pursuit.
The Raiders undeniably turned their operation around following McDaniels’ ouster, though this will be a gamble due to Pierce’s limited experience. Pierce grew up a Raider fan in Los Angeles, and Davis is believed to have appreciated the young leader’s grasp of the team’s culture and history. While Davis was connected to taking another big swing for the HC gig, his past two — Gruden and McDaniels — did not succeed. The Raiders have just two winning seasons since Super Bowl XXXVII; Pierce will be tasked with turning the operation around. With Davis giving McDaniels and Ziegler less than two years — after signing the pair to six-year contracts — it is worth monitoring how long of a leash Pierce will have.
As for Lewis, he has been out of the NFL since the Bengals fired him following the 2018 season. The former Super Bowl-winning DC has not been an NFL assistant since 2002, coaching the Bengals for 16 seasons. Lewis’ longevity made him a somewhat divisive figure during that stint, as playoff losses mounted, but he has interviewed for NFL HC jobs in the years since his Cincinnati dismissal. Lewis, 65, looks likely to be one of Pierce’s top aides for the 2024 season.
Chiefs fan here…good for Antonio and good for Raider Nation! This is much deserved!
Thanks, Layne Staley (RIP)
Odd that I have only just now made this connection, but…
He’s the man in the box.
Amazing vocalist, though.
Don’t come to snuff the rooster
If I would, could you?
This was the team’s best option. They had to go with AP or risk their franchise players leaving. As long as they draft well and pick up a DT and CB who can produce from the draft or free agency they will have a legitimate shot at the playoffs next year. I look forward to a competent coach for an entire season.
Great hire that’s the way it should happen
Mark finally did a smart thing. Bring Champ back too
Earned, not gifted to him. Can’t stand the Raiders but I respect the hell out of Antonio.
Finally a solid move by the Raiders. I could see them in the playoffs next year.
Hopefully PG wants to stay on and Kingsbury comes aboard as OC
Kingsbury will be OC for the Bears. Thats who Caleb Williams wants and if it’s not him he won’t go to the Bears
That Cardinal castoff would be the worst choice the Bears could make. Williams or no Williams, he’s a blue spot on a blue wall who is not the guy to turn that snakebit team around. And it’s also way too early to know who/what the Bears decide about QB.
As they should have.
Well deserved but he has to perform year 1. If they don’t make playoffs the choice to keep him will be scrutinized HEAVILY. DRAFT well that’s all I’m saying
He doesn’t have to perform year 1. He just can’t be Josh McDaniel’s bad.
No qb
Horrid oline
No wrs
Depends what raiders do during free agency but as things stand doubt Davis is expecting playoffs out of this roster.
He’ll get 2-3 years before his seat is hot.
No WRs? Adams and Meyers played pretty well this season, albeit not at career high standards. Rookie Tre Tucker showed flashes and I won’t give up on Hunter Renfrow ever.
Not the biggest area of concern IMO.
“No wrs”
Davante Adams is one of the best WRs in the league. Jakobi Meyers is an excellent #2 who had 8 TDs last season and has average 74 catches and 826 yards over the last three years. Jacobs is a good pass catching RB. They might need some depth at WR but “no WRs” is a really bad take.
Wrs is plural
2 guys doesn’t mean the group is good at all.
Raiders finished 4th last in yards after catch.
Adams and Meyers yards mean very little when you’re forced for throw the ball cause you’re losing.
Many wr metrics cite the raiders group as subpar.
Adam’s himself had a subpar season outside fantasy football stats
His yards per target dropped below 8 in the 6s which he hasn’t done in years.
Yards per game dropped
Even with bad qb play elite WRs can still post top tier numbere. He’s gonna be 32 and clearly taking a step back
Do better before you claim something is a bad take.
Problem there was the QB. I guarantee any QB in the AFC would love the combo of Adams and Meyers. They are the Top combo in their division. Are we really having this conversation???
Your math doesn’t match.
Yeah, because they had bottom five QB play. Garoppolo was bad, and O’Connell realistically shouldn’t have been starting. That he and his staff got someone who was a turnover machine in college to function without doing so as a rookie enough for them to be in all of their games they played under him was impressive in itself.
So did titans. They suffered from bad qb play as well. Yet Hopkins posted similar stats and better overall peripherals than Adams.
Hence why Hopkins graded out a better wr this year.
“Bad qb play” doesn’t 100% explain the subpar showing from the raiders WRs. Guys not fighting for yac, guys being lazy in their routes, lazy in their contested catches, lazy in their blocking assignments, etc also plays a big as to why Adams received a 79 and Meyers a 69 according to pff.
The PFF isn’t the end all be all. Those guys (PFF) are a bunch of math nerds who came up with a # system. Essentially “non football” guys trying to be football guys. I’m old school. I use the eye test and my eyes tell me that Adams is a FAR better WR right now than Hopkins. Regardless of of what PFF says. I watch a ton of games and Adams is still elite. Hop is on the decline.
I guarantee than ANY big name QB would love Adams over Hopkins at this point in their careers. HAHAH…
PFF grades??? Come on man!
PFF doesn’t grade a WR blocking downfield. Adams and Meyers both do it well. PFF doesn’t grade the deception the raiders get with Meyers running & throwing out of various formations.
PFF doesn’t grade the fact that a WR such as Adams (who is elite) will be shadowed (most of the time) by the opposing teams top CB with a safety to help as well…Yet Adams still had over 100 catches.
PFF won’t grade the fact the Adams doesn’t predetermine his plan at the LOS like a lot of WRs do. He counters at the LOS to what the CB does or is doing. I.E.-Does the CB line up inside & in front or is the CB 5 yards off and squatting. DA has a game plan for each situation. Does PFF grade that? Thats elite. It’s the eye test. Film doesn’t lie.
Jacobs won’t be there. He signs elsewhere as a free agent. Which imo , that’s ok. Zamir White is solid.
Lmao “he doesn’t have to perform well”
Lmao this is the nfl man. And he has to draft well and go to playoffs. A raiders season after this one that doesn’t end over .500 and in wild card weekend is a failure.
In year 1* are you illiterate or something cause you left off part of my comment.
No qb
Horrid oline
No WRs
The raiders offense has a lot of holes to fix atm.
Oooo catches
Oooo yards
Oooo tds
Yeah.
Declining or sub par catch rates
Declining or subpar yac
Declining or subpar grades for their performance
Is why the raiders are where they are. And it’s a whole offense problem.
A declining Adams, overpaid renfrow, volume stat padding #2 who needed more attempts to do less in LV than last year in NE in Meyers is where the raiders are at on offense.
People may not like it but numbers say raiders need help on offense. A lot.
Fantasy football stats mean little in the nfl.
Adans rated a 79 this year. Similar player in Hopkins with similar stats rated an 81.
Meyers rated a 69.
Given their contracts Adams should easily be in the 80s and Meyers in the mid 70s. Both performed subpar last year.
You’re not taking into account the coaching and the playcalls under McDaniels when you’re trying to build your argument for Adams’ decline. You can point to Hopkins in Tennessee to try to argue your point about poor QB play, but Vrabel is a much better coach than Hoodie Jr is. An elite WR can overcome some things, but he can’t overcome everything. Early in the year, the Raiders had a bad coach, bad playcalling and bad QB play.
No QB? Alright, Zach Wilson for Davante Adams…take it or leave it!
Player confidence can be a fickle thing. An endorsement from Crosby is nice but it doesn’t carry the same weight as one from a franchise QB.
I’d disagree. I say it’s more coming from Maxx because he’s the type of player even the franchise QB listens too. He’s a generational talent. The players in the locker rom and fans of the raiders know how hard that guy works and works out. Case in point he played almost all year with a bad knee. Just had surgery to clean it up in fact
(insert your Franchise QB) would have shut it down.
Maxx has mad respect for hiss peers.
The opinion of a franchise QB making 40-50MM per year carries more weight with management than a player who makes 24MM per year even if that player has respect from his peers. It’s a matter of economics not personalities.
Im looking at it from a respect thing. A player of Maxx’s caliber has the respect of ALL his peers where a top flight QB may not. Essentially Maxx is the spokesman for the whole locker room. In this case Maxx and Mark Davis gather together often away from the building to hang out and smoke cigars. I think he has Mark Davis respect too.
Elated as a Raider fan to finally get this done. The Raider way is back!
Good job, Raiders.
Nothing beats Jeff Saturday’s ascension.
It’s not really an elevation when guys are a former player.
Aren’t most former players of some degree?
Sorry Raider fans but this was a pure money move. How much is Davis still paying to HC’s who are no longer with the team? Pierce is going to make next to nothing, and let’s face it, raiders aren’t going anywhere the next few years, no point in paying a good coach.
Not even a Raider fan at all. Die hard Bengal fan. That said – you’re so wrong. Raiders have a lot of talent.
Yep. They actually have a lot of young talent while the team the media keeps feeding the public has a lot, the Chargers, do not. I’ve figured out that fans don’t watch this sport they claim to watch. Like No one was connecting anyone to the Falcons when it was apparent to me that that would be the top job that came open due to the roster talent. Just watch guys. It’s not hard to do.
Highwaytailgater—— that is one of the loserest comments I’ve ever read. “WhY pAy.a GoOd cOaCH? Don’t watch football bro.
You clearly didn’t read the article. This is one of the most extreme elevations of coaches in nfl history. You don’t go from linebacker coach to head coach, basically never. HC come from college or coordinator jobs. He is essentially an unknown entity and is not classified as a good coach, which is something coaches earn.
Raiders have a decent core of a few guys, and are a few years away, as I clearly stated.
Gen Z… brilliant bunch you are.
Yeah it would be like hiring a WR coach and then expect him to win a Super Bowl and then be named a Hall of Fame coach. That just doesn’t happen. Oh wait that’s exactly what the Raiders did when they named Tom Flores as their head coach and then went on to win two Super Bowls with him. Sometimes you don’t need coordinator experience, you just need to have the passion and the players willing to follow your lead.
He was a college DC, and yes, John Madden did go from LB coach to HC in this same organization.
He was the defensive coordinator for a D2 school. My only point was that it doesn’t always take a big name or previous experience as a full time coordinator for a large university or NFL team to become a great head coach. Madden went from a junior college coach to the NFL in 6 years and was an instant winner in the NFL. I’m not saying AP will have the same success, but I do have hope and the team backs him.
AP was the DC for a D1 school.
Arizona State plays in the PAC 12 and now moving to the BIG12.
Unless you meant Madden. I think at the time SDSU was a D2 school when he was the DC, but he was the DC under HC Don Coryell (who’s in the HOF I think)
Yes, I meant Madden coached at the D2 level. The head coach was Don Coryell. I think too many people are hung up on the fact that AP doesn’t have the typical resume. Some of the greatest coaches just needed the opportunity and that’s what he is getting. Hopefully in the end it pays off. It’s tough being a Raiders fan, but this time the hiring feels right.
I couldn’t agree more with you. It sure does.
Zac Taylor went from quarterback coach to head coach and went to the Super Bowl. He had pretty much the same credentials as Pierce. College coordinator and NFL position coach
John Madden went from Linebacker Coach to Head Coach.
Jim Harbaugh went from QB Coach to Head Coach.
John Harbaugh went from DB Coach to Head Coach.
Herm Edwards went from DB Coach to Head Coach.
Andy Reid went from QB Coach to Head Coach.
The list of NFL Head Coaches that were never coordinators goes on.
And, I don’t tailgate, I just pass. Lane lines are for sheep and stupid people.
Atta Boy AP!
I’m pleased. Watching the Raiders for the last couple of years has been painful. They finally get to show some heart. Look like they are having fun.
Shocking? At least he’s coached games and done well doing it. Jerod Mayo has just two more years on Belichick’s staff. It’s always interesting how the media spins things depending on who they’re reporting on.
Exactly. If youre looking at resumes AP has more. Plus he’s done the duties of HC and you know what youre getting. Mayo has yet to be an HC in a real NFL game.
The Raiders were the recipients of a dead cat bounce, nothing more. That happens almost every time an unpopular head coach is let go. Perhaps Pierce will turn out to be a good head coach, but Davis justifying it by saying he made a mistake in not retaining Bissacia is the mark of someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. No real business person would ever make that kind of decision.
So….
Antonio Pierce is the rebound coach.
I have to give props for that example.
Except it doesn’t. You actually made this up. The record for interim coaches including immediately after taking over, is abysmal overall. Do most of these coaches get their defense to be the best scoring defense in the league under them, which he did? Just asking for a friend.
Good for him and a good decision by them
Rare Raider W
Not a raider fan but its smartest thing they coulda done. Showed he could lead on the fly in-season. Team bought in2 em. He earned it. Will B interesting 2see what he can accomplish w/his own staff n having whole off-season 2mold roster adding new players via draft n free agency.