Raiders remove interim tag and hire Antonio Pierce as their head coach

sharonorn

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP)  Mark Davis could've waited to see if he could lure someone from an unusually deep roster of coaches on the open market to the Las Vegas Raiders.And even though Antonio Pierces resume was relatively thin, the Raiders owner determined he had done enough since becoming the Andre Dawson Jersey  interim coach on Halloween night to get the job full time.The Raiders announced Friday the hiring of Pierce as their new coach, on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter. He's the fourth interim coach the Raiders have elevated, joining Art Shell, Tom Cable and Marty Feldman.Pierce, 45, took over as interim coach . The Raiders went 5-4 under his watch and the team went 8-9 overall.ADVERTISEMENT  Cant think of anyone more deserving, Las Vegas tackle Jermaine Eluemunor . The Raider way is the only way that needs to be in Vegas.That's despite Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel and Pete Carroll being available, along with Michigan coach Jim Addison Russell Jersey  Harbaugh taking a few NFL interviews after leading the Wolverines Davis hired from outside two years ago in going with McDaniels over player favorite Rich Bisaccia, who led the Raiders on an unlikely late run to make the playoffs.Like with Bisaccia, Pierce had his players' backing early, but whether that convinced Davis to hire him was the question. So the players kept up the pre sure, including star defensive end Maxx Crosby. On his podcast, The Rush with Maxx Crosby, he said this week that nothing is off the table on his end if Pierce isn't hired.AP doesn't have a bunch of experience as a head coach, but the reality is he's come in and helped change the culture," Crosby said on his podcast. He's helped us win games, and he's helped our defense take off to Yu Darvish Jersey  a different level and our team in general. We're a few pieces away from being in contention. We all feel that. We feel like we should be playing this weekend (in the playoffs).Pierce also won over much of the fan base. The crowd chanted AP! as the clock wound down in the .Pierce will be charged with restoring a championship pedigree that has three Vince Lombardi trophies to a once-iconic franchise that has mi sed the playoffs in 19 of the past 21 seasons.NFL hiring rules prohibited Davis from hiring Pierce before going through a league-mandated proce s. Davis had to interview at least two external minority and/or female candidates in person to satisfy the Rooney rule. He did that.The Raiders interviewed former Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. ESPN reported the club also interviewed former New Orleans Saints co-defensive coordinator Kris Richard.Pierce is the second Black coach to receive a head job during this hiring cycle. The New England Patriots to replace Belichick.The Raiders are the with a Black coach, general manager and president. The GM, however, is an interim in Champ Kelly, though he also could get the job full time. Kelly has long been considered a strong candidate to get the position, but the fact he wasnt announced along with Pierces hire raises questions. Ron Santo Jersey Davis told The Athletic he has thought about about hiring a director of football operations, so its po sible he is reorganizing the front office that could still include Kelly.Pierce will have to make decisions regarding his staff, and it's most likely he will take a close look at his offense. Bo Hardegree became the interim offensive coordinator when at midseason, but it's po sible and maybe even likely Pierce goes outside the organization for the OC.Beyond that, Pierce will have to work with whoever becomes the general manager on personnel i sues, including what to do at quarterback. Pierce installed rookie Aidan OConnell as the starter. He improved as the season progre sed, but didnt erase concerns about the need for a franchise quarterback. The Raiders pick 13th in this years draft, so the top QBs likely will be gone by the time they select.The future of running  Anthony Rizzo Jersey back Josh Jacobs also will need to be resolved. After leading the NFL in rushing in 2022, Jacobs got into a contract dispute after the Raiders placed the franchise tag on him. The sides after training camp. Jacobs production dropped from 1,653 yards to 805 this season and he mi sed the final month because of a quadriceps injury.___AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.___AP NFL: