The Las Vegas Raiders have moved on from head coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. The firing comes less than a year after the organization removed the interim tag from Pierce, making him the 23rd coach in franchise history. After a 4-13 season, the club has now elected to move in a different direction. However, it won't be a full regime change. Las Vegas will keep general manager Tom Telesco on board, per ESPN.
Owner Mark Davis will have special help when he decides to begin to reach out to candidates because part owner and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is anticipated to be part of the committee who will interview the prospective head-coaching hires, according to ESPN.
The team released the following statement:
"The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Antonio Pierce of his duties as head coach. We appreciate Antonio's leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach. 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."
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 7, 2025
Pierce, 46, was initially hired by the Raiders in 2022 as a linebacker coach under then-head coach Josh McDaniels. He held that role through the 2022 campaign and midway through 2023 before McDaniels was fired. It was at that juncture Pierce ascended to interim head coach. Upon taking the reins, he immediately made a change at quarterback, benching Jimmy Garoppolo for Aidan O'Connell. Pierce's Raiders then won five of their final nine games on the season to finish the year 8-9 overall.
That strong finish down the stretch led to the Raiders removing the interim tag and hiring Pierce as their full-time head coach. Just days later, the team hired former Chargers executive Telesco as its next GM, replacing interim GM Champ Kelly and succeeding Dave Ziegler, who was fired alongside McDaniels. Telesco will likely now lead the search for a new head coach.
This season, the Raiders jumped out to a .500 record over the first month but then proceeded to drop 10 straight games to fall out of the playoff conversation entirely. While the club did enjoy a breakout rookie season from tight end Brock Bowers, the quarterback situation proved to be a thorn in their side. Las Vegas initially started Gardner Minshew after signing him to a two-year deal in free agency but was later benched for O'Connell in Week 6. However, the team had to go back to Minshew after an injury to O'Connell in his first start of the season. That instability at quarterback helped bring Pierce to his demise and will need to be addressed for whoever assumes the role going forward.
Piece, who won a Super Bowl as a linebacker for the New York Giants in 2007, ends this chapter of his coaching tenure with a 9-17 record.
