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Antonio Pierce grew up a Raiders fan in Southern California. Now, the fiery former NFL linebacker is Las Vegas’ new full-time head coach, with ESPN reporting Friday the two sides are finalizing a deal.
Pierce, who had been the Raiders’ linebackers coach in 2022, took over as interim head coach in Week 9 last season after owner Mark Davis fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler amid a 3-5 start to the year.
Pierce quickly won over players and fans alike while leading the Raiders to a 5-4 record over the rest of the season, and reportedly had widespread support in the Raiders’ locker room to get the permanent head coaching job.
Amid reports recently Davis was interested in bringing in a bigger name such as former Raiders quarterbacks coach and current Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh while other teams sought to interview Pierce for their own head coaching vacancies, star Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby tweeted #HireAP (referring to Pierce) and was echoed by several teammates.
Crosby, a two-time second team All-Pro, reportedly threatened to request a trade if Pierce was not made the full-time coach and publicly hinted as much on his podcast.
However, Pierce’s chances of getting the full-time role appeared to increase in recent days. The Raiders only interviewed two external candidates for the job — ex-Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and ex-Saints defensive coordinator Kris Richard — the minimum amount required by the NFL’s Rooney Rule, despite an uncommonly deep crop of NFL head coach candidates this cycle. Neither Frazier nor Richard coached in pro football in 2023.
Additionally, Hall of Fame former Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour was seen posing alongside Pierce and interim general manager Champ Kelly at Las Vegas’ Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade on Monday, soon after Seymour confirmed on social media that he was heavily involved in the Raiders’ coaching search.
The Raiders are reportedly deciding between…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/raiders-remove-interim-tag-from-head-coach-antonio-pierce
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Publish date : 2024-01-19 20:42:33
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