Grading each NFL head coaching hire so far this offseason
By John Buhler
Las Vegas Raiders removed the interim tag to retain Antonio Pierce
Why can I be more in favor of promoting Antonio Pierce from within than I am with Jerod Mayo? Well, I have seen how the Las Vegas Raiders responded to Pierce when he was the interim head coach for the better part of last season. He went 5-4 leading the Silver and Black. While Las Vegas made the playoffs with their previous interim head coach in Rich Bisaccia in 2021, Pierce just feels different.
I may be a little reticent to seeing Tom Telesco coming over from the Los Angeles Chargers in-division to be their new general manager. He drafts talented players, but ones who wake up and get hurt getting out of bed, probably because their sinew is made out of essentially popsicle sticks. The pairing of Pierce and Telesco has me concerned about the Raiders' future a bit, but I do like Pierce.
They need to do need to hire an offensive coordinator and improve at quarterback, but I think Pierce is a man of the people. His players love him and the fanbase sees him as one of their own. Overall, I feel that Pierce can install a winning culture in Las Vegas that is truly Raiders. However, being the interim coaching with nothing to lose is not the same as being the main man with everything to lose.
Unlike Mayo in New England, this is a promotion from within I think we can all actually get behind.
Grade: B