After a lot of debate and speculation, the Las Vegas Raiders made the decision on Friday to officially remove the interim tag on Antonio Pierce and make him their head coach for the foreseeable future.
Pierce led the team to a 5-4 record after taking over for Josh McDaniels, who was fired by the team on Halloween after a disappointing start to the season and after seemingly alienating all of his players.
Along with producing results on the field for the Raiders, Pierce did what McDaniels could not off the field, which won over his players, namely star wide receiver Davante Adams and star defensive end Maxx Crosby.
The Raiders players fell in love with Pierce’s style, which inspired the team’s play on the field and convinced them he is the right man for the job as the leader on the sideline in Las Vegas.
With Pierce now in the fold as the head coach moving forward, he’ll need to fill out his coaching staff and has already been linked to bringing in former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
As Antonio Pierce hires staff in Las Vegas, one name expected to be there is former #Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.
Pierce brought in Lewis — who coached him in Washington — to help him after getting the interim job. Now Lewis is expected to be on staff in a more formal capacity.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 19, 2024
Even though Lewis will be added to the staff, it remains to be seen in what capacity and what title he may take on in Las Vegas.
Pierce has already been linked to former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was rumored to take the offensive coordinator job if the team removed the interim tag.
It’ll be interesting to see where Pierce goes from here and what other moves the team might make during the NFL offseason.
NEXT:
Maxx Crosby Has 2-Word Reaction To Today’s Antonio Pierce News