An upswing to close out the 2024 campaign couldn't save Antonio Pierce's job.
The Las Vegas Raiders fired their head coach on Tuesday, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported, per sources informed of the situation.
Pierce addressed the media on Monday, a day after his team's season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and said he hadn't "heard anything different" regarding him remaining head coach. The Raiders will indeed be going in a different direction now, though.
Pierce generated a 9-17 record in one and a half seasons at the Raiders' helm. The former linebacker took over as the interim midway through the 2023 season and was hired for the full-time gig in 2024. A 4-13 campaign in 2024 included a 10-game losing streak (Weeks 5-15). During the skid, Pierce fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and installed Scott Turner as interim OC.
Vegas finished the season on the upslope, winning two of its final three games, knocking off the Jaguars and Saints before falling to the playoff-bound Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18. Even that positive momentum couldn't save Pierce's job.
The quarterback position was the biggest stumbling block to the Raiders making strides in 2024. Vegas entered the season without a franchise quarterback, conducting a QB competition between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell. Pierce elected to go with the veteran Minshew out of the gate. The coach then benched his starter after five weeks and a 2-3 record. O'Connell fared no better in two starts before getting injured in Week 7. Minshew retook the starting gig before eventually suffering a season-ending injury. Pierce was forced to start Desmond Ridder for a game (Week 15) before returning to O'Connell to end the season.
The quarterback issues plagued a Raiders club that still lacked talent on both sides of the ball, and glaring depth concerns were highlighted after injuries struck.
Positives dotted a down season, including rookie tight end Brock Bowers shattering records. The defense had some bright moments, and 15th in passing yards, an improvement on recent seasons.
Yet, the lows far outweighed the positives. During the 10-game losing streak, the Raiders were plagued by penalties, avoidable blunders, coaching miscues and an inability to make plays in close games. There were no rising tide-type players to lift all the tugboats.
A former Washington and New York Giants linebacker, Pierce first began his coaching journey at Long Beach Poly High School (2014-17). He moved up to college, joining the Arizona State staff (2018-2021). Pierce signed on as linebackers coach in Vegas under Josh McDaniels in 2022 before eventually taking over as the interim in 2023.
Parting ways with Pierce sets up the Raiders to make their third coaching hire in three seasons. Vegas has been to the playoffs twice in the past 22 seasons and hasn't won a postseason game since making the Super Bowl in 2002.
With Maxx Crosby, Brock Bowers, Christian Wilkins and Jakobi Meyers, there are some building blocks for the next head coach to work with. The key will be finally finding a franchise quarterback to take Mark Davis' organization to the next level.
