Raiders fire head coach Antonio Pierce
2025-01-08
Category: sports

The Las Vegas Raiders will be searching for another head coach this offseason, as they have reportedly let Antonio Pierce go after one full season, the team confirmed in a statement.&nbsp; Pierce was retained as the team's full-time head coach after taking over in an interim role for Josh McDaniels, who was fired midway through the 2023 campaign.&nbsp; Raiders players showed more fight when he took over, and owner Mark Davis took that into account when conducting his head coaching search last offseason.&nbsp; CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM  However, after going 4-13 in a tumultuous season, the Raiders will be back on the hunt to find the right coach to continue the team's rebuild. "The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Antonio Pierce of his duties as head coach," the Raiders' statement read. "We appreciate Antonio's leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach.&nbsp; "Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his Silver and Black roots run deep. We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization. We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family." WHO ARE THE 10 BEST RAIDERS PLAYERS OF ALL TIME?&nbsp; Pierce spoke with reporters on Monday after the regular season came to an end, saying he hadn’t "heard anything different" about his status. He said his focus would be on improving as a head coach.&nbsp; "What I need to do a better job of, I need to go with my gut," Pierce said. "I was better at that last year. This year I didn't do what I wanted to do as much as I wanted to do it." The Raiders have been a revolving door at head coach in recent seasons, with Jon Gruden resigning in 2021, followed by McDaniels getting fired after a season and a half.&nbsp;  Now, Pierce, who players like Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams (who was traded this past season to the New York Jets) gave the thumbs up to, will search for his next coaching opportunity.&nbsp; Las Vegas joins a head coaching search with teams like the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots, who have already placed numerous requests for interviews to get the ball rolling on that front.&nbsp; Top candidates that have been named are Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn, Pittsburgh Steelers OC Arthur Smith, former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Liam Coen.&nbsp;  Pierce's coaching journey began in high school at Long Beach Poly (CA) before making the jump to college with Arizona State in 2018 as a linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator. He would work his way up to defensive coordinator and associate head coach with the Sun Devils before returning to the NFL to the Raiders.&nbsp;  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Pierce, a Super Bowl champion linebacker in his playing days with the New York Giants, was the Raiders' linebackers coach in 2022 and held the same position before serving in his interim head coach role in 2023.&nbsp; Follow Fox News Digital’s&nbsp;sports coverage on X, and subscribe to&nbsp;the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.