The Raiders were handily beaten by the Andy Dalton-led Panthers on Sunday. In his post-game press conference, head coach Antonio Pierce suggested roster moves could be coming in the near future in response to his team’s performance. 
“As the game went on… I think there was definitely some individuals that made business decisions,” Pierce said while declining to name specific players (via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez). “And we’ll make business decisions going forward as well.”
The Panthers racked up 437 yards of offense en route to a 36-22 victory. Dalton – inserted into the starting lineup in place of the struggling Bryce Young – became the first quarterback in 2024 to amass at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns in a game. Pierce’s comments suggest notable changes could be coming in the near future to at least the depth chart at certain positions.
The 2024 offseason produced a number of changes, with ex-Chargers general manager Tom Telesco being hired as Vegas’ new GM. Owner Mark Davis previously expressed regret over not retaining Rich Bisaccia as head coach after he held the title at the end of the 2021 season. Pierce, by contrast, had the interim tag removed this spring, allowing him to carry on following his stint to close out last year. That makes 2024 his first full season as a head coach at the NFL level.
The 45-year-old will be tasked with overseeing development on the part of the Raiders, a team which faces questions at quarterback in particular. Gardner Minshew won a summer competition for the starter’s role over Aidan O’Connell after the team was active in seeking a move up the draft board to add a signal-caller. Both Minshew and O’Connell are under contract for 2025, but struggles on offense will no doubt lead to continued speculation about a move at the position during the spring.
On defense, the Raiders rank near the bottom of the league in a number of categories. Improvement on that side of the ball will be a goal moving forward, although the team’s edge rush group is shorthanded in the absence of Malcolm Koonce. It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff reacts to Sunday’s loss after it dropped the Raiders to 1-2 on the year.
Like many other teams, the Raiders can’t commit to an actual rebuild. Thinking they are ‘oh so close’ when in fact they are a marginal team.
It’s the worst place to be when you need a QB.
Unfortunately you’re right
Does anyone know who he’s referring to when he basically said some guys gave up?
No, but I’ll bet we find out who at least some of them were soon enough. Pierce doesnt strike me as a guy who messes around.
Just saw a clip of Jack Jones go full spectator mode on a run play in his direction. The guy’s obviously talented, but between his off-field behavior and his questionable commitment, you can see why Belichick cut bait on him after a year and a half.
No. But kudos to Pierce for making a blunt assessment of the situation. The league will probably fine him for saying it. Protecting the image of the league is more important than player accountability. Pierce must not have got that memo.
The Red Rifle has owned the Raiders his whole career:
2012 with Bengals W 34-10 16-30 210 yds 3 TDs 109.0
2015 with Bengals W 33-13 25-34 269 yds 2 TDs 115.9
2022 with Saints W 24-0 22-30 229 yds 2 TDs 117.2
2024 with Panthers W 36-22 26-37 319 yds 3 TDs 123.6
I think Antonio Pierce can be a good head coach in the NFL and I love the idea that he is willing to call out players for playing for the name on the back of the jersey instead of the name on the front. Most coaches are reluctant to lay blame on the players because their job is to coach em up but it’s hard to take the
“Selfish “ out of a player’s attitude. Serving notice that he isn’t going to coddle players that give a half assed effort to cover for them is a refreshing response to a really poor defensive effort against a team that is a train wreck.
Back in the day it wasn’t uncommon to see the fire and brimstone type of head coach. The players had no union and there was no free agent market. They had no leverage to fight back against management. It’s a totally different era now. If your $55MM QB and a few other high priced players decides they don’t like the HC…that guy is history! We shouldn’t be surprised that most head coaches bend over to placate the players now.
I would agree with that…it’s easier to fire one guy (Head Coach) instead of the whole team
My option is that adams really does want out of Vegas. He has a lot of drops already. Which he has never done. Thing is I like him.
Does Vegas go with Aidan O’Connell as QB1 vs. Cleveland? He replaced Minshew late in the 4th vs. Carolina when the game was out of reach.
Devante Adams and a 4th round pick to the Eagles for James Bradberry and a 2nd rounder. Win for both teams, if the Raiders don’t blow the pick.
That would be a ridiculous trade for the Raiders.