January 13, 2024, 8:35 a.m. ET
Interim coach Antonio Pierce has emerged as a leading candidate to become the Raiders' full-time head coach with the support of key players in Las Vegas, league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Raiders owner Mark Davis will still consider other options, but as one source said, “I would be blown away if Antonio wasn't the choice.”
The Raiders have not conducted any additional head coach interviews. They have interest in Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, sources told Schefter, but the focus is on Pierce. According to sources, Pierce, 45, is also interviewing with the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.
After the Raiders' season-ending 27-14 win over the Denver Broncos, owner Davis told ESPN he was “really excited” about the job Pierce did in leading the team to a 5-4 finish. after taking over as interim head coach.
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When Davis first named Pierce from linebackers coach to interim coach following the Halloween night firing of Josh McDaniels, he told ESPN he didn't necessarily want Pierce to be “coach” but rather to “lead” and “delegate.” .
Raiders players were impressed with Pierce's leadership style, and All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams said he would “run through a wall for that man.” Three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby, who recorded a career-high 14.5 sacks this season, also voiced his support for Pierce.
“It’s legendary,” Crosby said after the season finale. “When you have the right culture, a guy like AP who deals with the history of the Raiders, that's something special. … A lot of legends.” [visit] consistently because they have so much respect for him. This makes you as a player want to go out and show who you are. You know what I mean? You want to be at that level one day.
At 8-9, the Raiders finished second in the AFC West, two games better than last season, after pulling away from the division champion Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers and defeating the Broncos.
Pierce went 3-1 in the division, and the Raiders were impressive in every game they played, with wins over the New York Giants (30-6), Chargers (63-21), Chiefs (20-14), and Broncos (27-14), along with questionable losses to the Minnesota Vikings (3-0) and Indianapolis Colts (23-20), that kept them out of the playoffs for the 19th time in 21 seasons.
Prior to being named interim head coach, Pierce's only head coaching experience was at the high school level with California club Long Beach Poly from 2014 to 2017. He has since worked as an assistant at Arizona State and joined McDaniels' staff in 2022.
ESPN's Paul Gutierrez contributed to this report.