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Grand opening, grand closing.
Antonio Pierce‘s tenure as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders has ended. He was stripped of his title after an abysmal 4-13 season, during which the team went on a 10-game losing streak before finally beating the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints at the end of the season.
It’s especially disheartening because the black and silver showed so much promise in the 2023-2024 season. It got off to a rocky start, leading to the firing of Josh McDaniel midway through and Pierce’s promotion from linebackers coach after starting his coaching career with Arizona State. Pierce was given the reigns and finished the season with a 5-4 record, including an impressive win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
But it appeared to be a flash in the pan, as the 2024-2025 season was marred by injuries to quarterback Gardner Minshew, Maxx Crosby, and even second-stringer QB Aidan O’Connell. The team took another hit in October when Davante Adams was traded for a reunion with Aaron Rodgers in exchange for a conditional 2025 third-round pick.
“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Antonio Pierce of his duties as head coach,” the team said in a released statement. “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.”
In this lopsided season, the Raiders join several other teams, including the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, and New York Jets, in seeking new head coaches.
However, the vacancies knock down a feat made last year when the NFL achieved a record of having nine minority head coaches at once.
But with Pierce and New England’s Jerod Mayo getting the boot, the only remaining Black coaches are Pittsburgh Steelers mainstay Mike Tomlin, Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles, and Houston’s DeMeco Ryans.
Some fans think the firing is warranted while others believe he did the best with the weapons he was given.
See fans’ reactions below.