Las Vegas Raiders fire head coach Antonio Pierce: Everything you need to know moving forward
As most of the midwest, and even parts of the south, start to freeze over from this blizzard that's coming in, there was a fire brewing in Las Vegas, as the Las Vegas Raiders paraded head coach Antonio Pierce out to the media on Monday to do a press conference, and fired him on Tuesday. […]
As most of the midwest, and even parts of the south, start to freeze over from this blizzard that's coming in, there was a fire brewing in Las Vegas, as the Las Vegas Raiders paraded head coach Antonio Pierce out to the media on Monday to do a press conference, and fired him on Tuesday. As they say, it's a cold world in this business, but at least Pierce had on that sweet starter jacket.
After losing to the Los Angeles Chargers in their last game, Pierce had his Monday press conference, which made everyone think he would be staying. Pierce said he hadn't "heard anything different" regarding his remaining head coach.
Now the Raiders are a day behind most teams who are looking for a head coach. On Black Monday, most coaches that were rumored to be fired, were, besides Pierce. That gives teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and others the extended time to find a head coach. And, that may not seem like much time, but in the NFL world where things move at lightning speed, it's plenty.
Most teams already have requests in with several coaches for an interview, and some have already gotten a few interviews done. But, with it being done now, they can start the process, if they haven't already, and find the next head coach who could possibly be fired in two years. They have dug themselves into a giant hole, with only them to blame, but now it's time to get this one right.
So, here's everything you need to know moving forward:
Everything to know after Raiders fired Antonio Pierce
So, here's what we do know:
The Raiders are interested in a few guys, and as of late Tuesday, Josina Anderson is reporting that there are two names in particular that the Raiders have been doing some "scouting on" per se, behind the scenes. Now, she didn't name those coaches, but one can estimate who one of them may be. I'm willing to bet that one of them is former Tennessee Titans head coach and Cleveland Browns consultant Mike Vrabel.
But, the New England Patriots, his former team as a player, are also interested in him and are set to interview him soon if they haven't already. But for the Raiders, they have one thing going for them: Vrabel's former teammate Tom Brady.
We now know that Brady will have a major influence in this hire, along with the Raiders' first draft pick in this upcoming draft. Brady is one of the smartest minds we have ever seen in this sport, and that's a guy I'd want calling some shots for me.
The next thing on the list that we have been made aware of is that General Manager Tom Telesco will keep his job. And, let's be honest here — if you draft Brock Bowers, a guy who is already the best tight end in the league as a rookie, you get to keep your job. Now, some of the signings he made were questionable, like giving Gardner Minshew the contract they did, but he has also brought in a pretty good rookie class so far.
One name that has been mentioned by Las Vegas Raiders insider Vinny Bonsignore to watch is Pete Carroll, which would be an odd pairing, but only time will tell if anything comes from that or not.
On Tuesday, the team released this statement regarding Pierce.
"We appreciate Antonio's leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach," the team said in a statement. "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 in the future."
The Raiders now will look for their sixth head coach since Mark Davis took over.
