The 2023 NFL season is officially in the books for the Las Vegas Raiders, with a lot of questions to be answered heading into the offseason for the storied franchise, especially when it comes to who will be the head coach next season.
As of right now, it seems as though longtime team owner Mark Davis has yet to make a decision about whether to keep interim head coach Antonio Pierce or explore other options like Jim Harbaugh out of the University of Michigan. Although there have been reports of Pierce being the favorite to get the job, there’s still a lot of uncertainty in Las Vegas, with a chance that anything could happen moving forward.
However, an interesting tidbit surfaced this week regarding Pierce and who might be his offensive coordinator next season if Davis hires him. Former Arizona Cardinals head coach and senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach at USC has been linked to the gig in Las Vegas, according to Colin Cowherd of FOX Sports.
“If he gets the job, keep your eye on Kliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator,” Cowherd said. “I have a source that told me Kliff Kingsbury is his likely OC if he gets the job.”
.@ColinCowherd has an interesting update from a source if the Raiders end up hiring Antonio Pierce as HC 👀 pic.twitter.com/SOrlaGc3uM
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 15, 2024
Kingsbury may have done a forgettable job as the head coach for the Cardinals, as he was unable to turn things around with Kyler Murray under center in Arizona, but he’s done a commendable job under Lincoln Riley at the University of Southern California.
The versatile offensive guru from USC can add promising young quarterback and potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams, to his credit as a player he was able to help groom into a college superstar. Williams is expected by many to be a generational talent on the NFL level, with teams clamoring to get the top pick in the draft to bring him in to be their franchise quarterback.
Obviously, all of this depends on whether Davis is sold on Pierce as his head coach moving forward, which would be a smart move, considering he’s already won over the locker room and has star players like Maxx Crosby vowing to explore his options if the 45-year-old isn’t retained.
