Needless to say, this season hasn’t gone as the Raiders planned. After a 2-2 start, superstar wide receiver Davante Adams requested a trade and the team hasn’t won a game since, losing its sixth straight on Sunday against the Dolphins.
Adams plays for the Jets now, and injuries are piling up on the Las Vegas defense. As a result, coach Antonio Pierce is struggling to field a competitive team on game day.
Or is Pierce simply the wrong man to lead the Raiders? Could team owner Mark Davis move on from Pierce after hiring him as full-time coach less than a year ago?
According to The Athletic’s Josh Kendall, it seems “unlikely” that Davis will bring Pierce back next season, citing the presence of minority owner and NFL great Tom Brady. Kendall listed the Raiders No. 29 in his latest NFL power rankings and said Pierce’s seat is already hot.
Antonio Pierce is 7-12 in two seasons after the Raiders got blown out by Miami on Sunday. They have bounced back and forth between quarterbacks all year long and never felt like a threat in the AFC West or anywhere else. Jakobi Meyers was Las Vegas’ leading rusher Sunday with one carry for 20 yards. At least there’s Brock Bowers, who had 13 catches for 126 yards against the Dolphins. With new minority owner Tom Brady in the building, it seems unlikely majority owner Mark Davis will stand pat with Pierce as head coach.
Pierce’s fate likely rests in his team’s performance over the final seven weeks of the season. As Kendall notes, poor quarterback play has held the team back all year, so it will be tough for Pierce and the Raiders to finish strong.
If the Raiders continue to lose by large margins, Pierce could definitely be gone at the end of the season. But as long as the team shows improvement, even minor improvement, Pierce will likely return. The offense looked improved under new offensive coordinator Scott Turner, and that bodes well for Pierce.
Davis knew Pierce was light on experience when he hired him, and I don’t think he’ll be quick to hand Pierce his walking papers, even if Brady disagrees. Davis stated he wants Brady to find him a quarterback, not make decisions normally left to the majority owner. So I think it’s likely Pierce, who was hand-picked by Davis, will remain the Raiders coach.
Pierce’s fate is anyone’s guess, however, so Kendall could be correct. We’ll see how it plays out after this frustrating campaign in Las Vegas comes to a close.
