The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly finalizing a deal with interim head coach Antonio Pierce to keep him on.
Pierce’s hiring comes after several players on the team publicly lobbied Raiders owner Mark Davis to keep him in charge of the team.
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The big picture: NFL Network reported Friday that Davis agreed to terms with Pierce to make him the next head coach of the Raiders.
- Pierce took over midway during the season after Davis fired Josh McDaniels.
- Despite taking over a 3-5 team, Pierce led the Raiders to a 5-4 record to finish the season at 8-9 overall and second in the AFC West.
- Although the Raiders missed the playoffs, Pierce proved popular among the team’s stars – wide receiver Davante Adams and defensive end Maxx Crosby.
State of play: Davis was faced with a similar situation the last time the Raiders were searching for a head coach.
- During the 2021 season, special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia took over as interim head coach when Jon Gruden resigned and led the team to a 7-5 record under his charge to make the playoffs.
- Despite the playoff appearance – a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC wild card round – Davis opted to move in a different direction, letting Bisaccia go and bringing in McDaniels.
