Maxx Crosby, Raiders players laying groundwork to oust Antonio Pierce already

Tom Brady, do something! The Las Vegas Raiders are imploding again.

Las Vegas has been searching for the right leadership to guide the franchise back to its former glory. So far, that search has come up empty.

Two years ago, interim head coach Rich Bisaccia took over a Raiders team that was in constant turmoil, both on and off the field, and led them to a postseason berth. The Raiders players wanted Bisaccia to remain as their head coach after the season ended, but owner Mark Davis chose to bring in former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels instead. 

The McDaniels era proved to be an unmitigated disaster, and he was fired on Halloween night after a brutal team meeting in which players viciously “unloaded” on their head coach, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported. McDaniels reportedly had linebackers coach Antonio Pierce, who was the linebackers coach, get up and speak on his behalf.

Coincidentally, it was Pierce who was named head coach after McDaniels was fired. Roughly one year later, it appears to be his turn to feel the wrath of his players.

Another Raiders mutiny seems to be on the horizon 

Several Raiders players, including team captain Maxx Crosby, spoke openly in a team meeting on Monday to address the inefficiencies and deficiencies that plague the organization on a week-to-week basis, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported.

Players were unhappy with a lack of organization, discipline and accountability. They also believed there was a lot of “wasting time” with an inefficient schedule.

The Cincinnati Bengals pummeled the Raiders in Week 9 and sent them into their bye week with a sour taste. The 42-21 beatdown was their fifth consecutive loss, dropping them to a 2-7 record at the midpoint of the season. Pierce fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, offensive line coach James Cregg and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello after the team’s latest loss. 

Still, that may not be enough for the players. They witnessed the power their team meetings yield when McDaniels was fired, and the Raiders may be ready for another mutiny. Although the meeting was reportedly nothing like the one that resulted in McDaniels getting fired, this meeting ended “uncomfortably for all parties.”

Ironically, the Raiders’ players openly campaigned for Pierce to be named head coach this offseason after he led the team to a 5-4 record as the interim coach. All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams said he would "run through a wall for that man." Crosby, who had a career-high 14.5 sacks during the 2023 season, even threatened to leave the team if Pierce was not hired.

A few months later, everything seems different. Adams has already forced his way out with a midseason trade to the New York Jets, and Crosby is left with nothing to do but voice his frustration once again.

The Raiders will return from their bye week and begin preparations for their road game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 11. For Pierce, the game could prove to be more pivotal than initially anticipated.