After a search that never should have been, the Las Vegas Raiders officially named Antonio Pierce as their next head coach on Friday.
Pierce’s hire comes after he took over for Josh McDaniels and led the Raiders to a 5-4 finish (8-9 overall) with three of the four losses coming by a combined 13 points.
In Week 9, Pierce coached the Raiders to a 30-6 victory over the New York Giants, his former team. It was his first-ever NFL game as the lead dog.
The 45-year-old Pierce was originally signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free-agent rookie out of Arizona in 2001. After four seasons in D.C., Pierce signed with the Giants in 2005 and remained with Big Blue until his retirement in 2010.
During his time with the Giants, Pierce was named a team captain and carved out a nice place in franchise history. He was a catalyst in the team’s Super Bowl run in 2007, which was capped off by the largest upset in NFL history — a 17-14 victory over Tom Brady and the then-undefeated New England Patriots.
Unsurprisingly, Pierce has a good relationship with former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, whom he had address the Raiders this past season.
After learning of Pierce’s hire, Coughlin released a congratulatory statement.
“I could not be prouder of Antonio Pierce being named head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” Coughlin said, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “I’m excited for him, his family, and the franchise. This is the team he grew up watching, and his belief in himself and in the players is why he is there. He is a great student of the game, a quick learner with a great attitude, and he is eager to get to work. The 2024 season just got a lot more interesting with him at the helm. Go get ’em AP!”
Coughlin has consulted with Pierce on filling out his Raiders’ staff and remains open to helping AP down the line if the first-time head coach needs it.
