NFL rumors: Raiders Pro Bowler joins Davante Adams with 'line in sand' for Mark Davis

The 2023 season was a rough one for the Las Vegas Raiders, who entered the year with postseason aspirations but wound up firing coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler after a 3-5 start. Things looked incredibly bleak with QB Jimmy Garoppolo benched, but the Raiders rallied from their rough start and wound up finishing with an 8-9 record, going 5-4 under interim head coach Antonio Pierce.

Pierce's short Raiders tenure featured several highlights including a 63-point outburst against the Chargers and a win in Kansas City on Christmas Day. The Raiders appearing to play much better under Pierce clearly made an impact on some of the team's best players, as Davante Adams recently spoke out about wanting the interim tag removed, and now Adams has some company with fellow Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby giving Pierce his seal of approval as well.

Crosby made it very clear on his Twitter account that the Raiders should #HireAP to be their next head coach. Crosby is going as far as "drawing a line in the sand" according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport raising the possibility of Crosby potentially asking for a trade if the Raiders don't bring him back.

Maxx Crosby joins Davante Adams in voicing support for Antonio Pierce to stay with the Raiders

Crosby's tweet came after it was rumored that Pierce was set to interview for the Titans job this weekend. There's no telling as to whether he'll get offered the position or would take it over Vegas' but the Raiders letting it get this far is certainly interesting. Pierce had his team playing well down the stretch and has the support of the team's star players, what are they waiting for?

The Raiders already made a mistake letting an interim coach walk, as after Rich Bisaccia led them to an unlikely playoff appearance following Jon Gruden's resignation, the Raiders turned to McDaniels to be their new coach. That ended as poorly as most expected, and now the Raiders are in danger of losing out on another potential gem of a head coach.

With Pierce generating interest elsewhere, it's time for Mark Davis to make a decision quickly. Big names like Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel might sound good, but that doesn't mean they'll work in Vegas. Pierce has worked and has the backing of the players they should care about. It's on Davis to seal the deal before potentially alienating not only his fanbase, but two of their best players.