Antonio Pierce will become the Raiders’ next head coach, an AP source reports.
It is said that the two parties are completing the agreement.
(AP) HENDERSON, Nev. According to a source familiar with the decision, the Raiders have decided to name Antonio Pierce as their next head coach and are in the final stages of closing the deal, which was reported by The Associated Press.
The individual spoke under anonymity because the team hasn’t released the information.
After Josh McDaniels was sacked on Halloween night, 45-year-old Pierce assumed interim coaching duties for Las Vegas. Under his leadership, the Raiders finished with a 5-4 record; as a team, they went 8-9 overall. From the start, the players supported him.
“Why wouldn’t we keep going the direction we’re going?” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said after a 27-14 victory over Denver on Jan. 7. “The fact we’ve come together and done something special in such a short time is hard to do. We’ve got a guy who’s played at the highest level, won a Super Bowl, he’s been a captain, and now he’s a great coach and he’s a leader.”
Pierce also won over much of the fan base. The crowd chanted “AP!” as the game against the Broncos was winding down.
Pierce will be charged with restoring a championship pedigree to a once-iconic franchise that has missed the playoffs in 19 of the past 21 seasons.
NFL hiring rules prohibited owner Mark Davis from hiring Pierce outright. Davis had to interview at least two external minority and/or female candidates in person to satisfy the Rooney rule. He did that.
Leslie Frazier, a former defensive coordinator for Buffalo, was interviewed by the Raiders. According to ESPN, the team also spoke with Kris Richard, a former co-defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints.
Two years prior, Davis made an outside choice in McDaniels instead of player favorite Rich Bisaccia, and the Raiders made an unexpected late charge to the postseason.
Pierce would have to make choices about his employees after taking the job. He had two options: look for another offensive coordinator, or stick with Bo Hardegree, who took over as interim coordinator following Mick Lombardi’s midseason firing.
