The Las Vegas Raiders have continued to play hard under head coach Antonio Pierce, and that has been rewarded over the past two weeks with victories over the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints.
Pierce’s job status has been in question for much of the season, particularly during the Raiders’ 10-game losing streak. Even though it is only his first full season at the helm, and he clearly hasn’t lost the locker room, rumors have already begun swirling about potential replacements should the Raiders choose to move on.
With their victories in the last two weeks, some may believe Pierce has done enough to stick around for another year with the Raiders, but that may not be the case. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, a coaching change remains possible for the Raiders and may even be more likely than not.
Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce’s status has been up in the air for over a month. The team has continued to play hard for him, the roster’s gotten younger, the young guys have developed and going to Scott Turner as OC has mostly worked. They won Sunday. That said, with the expectation that the football people will be under a mandate to find a long-term quarterback this offseason, change is absolutely in play, if not likely.
While nothing is for sure just yet, it is believed that owner Mark Davis will lean on minority owner Tom Brady, and once again, Mike Vrabel is being mentioned as someone the Raiders could target.
Mark Davis will listen to Brady’s counsel on where Pierce has taken the program and where things should go. There are plenty of well-connected folks who believe Vrabel would be the front-runner for that job. In fact, last year, when Brady showed up at the team’s final practice of the season, some internally took it as a sign that a run at Vrabel, who hadn’t yet been fired in Tennessee, could be on the way.
Vrabel undoubtedly overachieved with the Tennessee Titans and is an excellent coach. The Raiders’ interest in bringing him in makes sense, but it is an unfortunate situation for Pierce. He was not dealt a great hand but has still made the most of it with this team. Once the season ends, many will watch what the Raiders do with their coach.
Mark Davis celebrated Raiders win over Jaguars in locker room with team
Mark Davis certainly seemed happy with the job Antonio Pierce did following the team’s victory over the Jaguars, which ended the team’s 10-game losing streak.
After the win, the owner was seen in the locker room, celebrating and talking with players. Davis was reportedly in a great mood, and the fact that the Raiders’ draft position worsened with the victory seemed to mean little.
