4 head coaches Raiders would be wrong to hire over Antonio Pierce

1. Brian Flores is salt to the earth when it comes to quarterback grooming

While the Minnesota Vikings have remained playoff viable for the most part this season in a down NFC, the Raiders cannot hire their controversial defensive coordinator Brian Flores. The former head coach of the Miami Dolphins spent last season on Mike Tomlin's Pittsburgh Steelers staff in the wake of the disastrous end to his South Florida tenure. He filed a class-action lawsuit vs. the NFL in 2022.

Litigation or not, Flores cannot be the Raiders' next head coach because he is the antithesis of a quarterback whisperer. He nearly ruined Tua Tagovailoa during his two years as his head coach. Given how well Mike McDaniel has done since replacing him, it has made what Flores did in South Beach look worse by the day. Simply put, the Raiders cannot hire a defensive-minded bully at head coach.

It would be so exceptionally Raiders to do this because they have strong players on that side of the ball, so why not double-down in that regard? What the Raiders need to do is either stick with Pierce as their head coach or go with the right offensive mind. Bieniemy, Johnson and Smith could work a lot of places, but the Raiders' job is a different one. It is why Pierce should be a strong candidate for this.

By hiring Flores, the Raiders would be wasting all the goodwill Pierce has garnered over two months.