The job done by Las Vegas Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce after taking over for Josh McDaniels was noticed across the league. The turnaround for the Raiders was apparent and even in defeat, the energy and effort of the team was clearly different from earlier in the season.
The Raiders still must make a decision on whether or not they want to keep Pierce around as the permanent head coach and the franchise plans on taking their time and going through an entire interview process. But they may not have as much time as they would like as Pierce’s performance has caught the eye of at least one team in need of a head coach.
According to Ian Rapaport of NFL Network, the Tennessee Titans have requested to interview Pierce for their vacant head coaching position:
The #Titans have requested to interview #Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce for their vacant head coaching job, source said. Las Vegas may have some competition.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 10, 2024
The Titans decided to part ways with Mike Vrabel after a second consecutive losing season, and Pierce does come from a similar vein. Like Vrabel, Pierce is a former NFL linebacker who transitioned into coaching and does a great job of connecting with and motivating his players. Vrabel did have great success with the Titans before these last couple of seasons so if they want to bring on someone who has some similarities that they wish to continue to build on, the Raiders’ interim coach could be an interesting choice for Tennessee.
Of course the main question is whether or not the Raiders truly view Pierce as the man whom they want to continue to lead this franchise. He undoubtedly has the backing of the players within the locker room as well as many Raiders legends who have vouched for him as well. Things were far from perfect, and there were some rough performances as well, but the team very much bought into what Pierce was preaching.
But that doesn’t mean he will ultimately be the choice of the Raiders and there are other names being floated around as well. Most notably University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has some ties to the franchise and could be looking to jump back to the NFL.
But whether it’s with the Raiders or elsewhere, Pierce has gotten himself on the NFL head coaching radar, and the Titans are gonna take an up-close look.
