As the Raiders inch closer to an offseason decision on its next head coach, star receiver Davante Adams expressed Wednesday why he feels the team has already found its next leader in interim coach Antonio Pierce.
Las Vegas (7–9) enters Week 18 not fighting for the playoffs, but an opportunity to turn in another standout showing under Pierce, whose gone 4–4 since taking over following the Oct. 31 firing of Josh McDaniels. With Sunday’s season finale looming, Adams made it clear he and the majority of his teammates believe the club’s search should begin and end with officially hiring Pierce to the position.
“It’s obviously who I wanted,” Adams told reporters. “That’s my vote, and I’ve been vocal about that, and that’s basically how the whole locker room feels with good reason. He’s come in and done a great job and it’s continued to win us over. It’s not just the comfortable thing, I think having AP here would be good for this organization.
“He kind of embodies what it means to be a Raider, that mentality, that swag and all the things that he endorses [are] the things that I believe in. … [I’m] definitely rooting for him.”
#Raiders WR Davante Adams on interim HC Antonio Pierce:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 3, 2024
"It's who I wanted, and he's my vote, and that's basically how the whole locker room feels. ... He embodies what it means to be a Raider. ... I'm rooting for him."
Message sent to Mark Davis...pic.twitter.com/KKa18FnrB3
Adams’s praise for Pierce’s ability to galvanize the Raiders after a 3–5 start also included the All-Pro wideout touting the ex-linebacker-turned-assistant as someone who’s “easy” to play for due, in part, to his nine years as a pro.
“He has a realistic approach and mindset of how the game is supposed to be played and what he expects from his players and it’s easy to get behind that,” Adams said.
Despite falling short of the postseason, Las Vegas, as Adams alluded to, has played better with Pierce, looking every bit of a “player’s coach” at the helm and stayed in the fight until Week 17.
Of course, the inspiring story will soon become a footnote on the year as Raiders management assesses Pierce and other candidates with hopes of returning to the playoffs after missing out for the sixth time in seven years.
