Las Vegas Raiders players lobbied for Antonio Pierce to be the full-time head coach since he stepped in as the interim at midseason.
On Friday, Pierce officially got the gig.
The Raiders announced the hiring of Pierce as their new coach, crossing out the word “interim” in a post on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter. He’s the fourth interim coach the Raiders have elevated, joining Art Shell, Tom Cable and Marty Feldman.
Pierce, 45, took over as interim coach on Halloween night after Josh McDaniels was fired. The Raiders went 5-4 under his watch and the team went 8-9 overall.
“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.
“Can’t think of anyone more deserving,” Las Vegas tackle Jermaine Eluemunor posted on X. “The Raider way is the only way that needs to be in Vegas.”
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.
The Raiders interviewed former Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. ESPN reported the club also interviewed former New Orleans Saints co-defensive coordinator Kris Richard.
