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The Antonio Pierce era for the Las Vegas Raiders is off to a great start, with a 30-6 win over the New York Giants in his debut. If the team keeps playing well in the second half of the season, Pierce — the interim head coach following the October 31 firing of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler — will have a real chance to keep the head coaching job.
However, NFL rules will force the team to do a comprehensive coach search, and another former player wants a shot at the job. Five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Rison, who played for the Raiders in 2000, “would love to” get hired as the next head coach.
“[Mark Davis] knows that,” Rison told TMZ in a November 5 interview. “And, I think the whole world knows it as well.”
Rison has been coaching in the high school ranks for years now but wants a shot to coach at the highest level. He has a lot to prove to people.
“It would be a great opportunity,” Rison said. “A great chance to not only show the world, but show myself the dedication I have given in the coaching game.”
Rison is close with University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders and has seen his former teammate on the Atlanta Falcons have success coaching at the college level. But the NFL is a different beast.
Why Andre Rison Is Unlikely for Head Coaching Job
While it’s entirely possible that Rison is a rising star in the coaching ranks, he’ll need to coach beyond the high school level if an NFL team is going to take him seriously for a head job. He told TMZ he’d like to coach at his alma mater of Michigan State, and while that’s also a long shot, it would be a great stepping stone toward the NFL.
Rison could also get his start as an assistant. Raiders owner Mark Davis has never been opposed to giving former players jobs, especially former Raiders. Rison only spent one season with the silver and black in 2000, but he still has connections to the team. Perhaps whoever is the next head coach could bring him on as an assistant. Other than that, it’s difficult to see Davis making a risky hire like Rison even if he could be the next big thing.
Antonio Pierce Has Won Over the Locker Room
It remains to be seen whether Pierce will be a viable head coach, but there’s no denying that his players believe in him. That was evident in how fired up the team came out to play the Giants in Week 9. Running back Josh Jacobs made it clear that they wanted to play hard for Pierce.
“I mean, we wanted to do it for AP,” Jacobs said during his November 5 media availability. “I think we all came to that conclusion. We all sat down and was like no matter how this goes, we’re going to play with everything that we got for that man.
“Just because the position he’s in, and however it goes, he’s going to be the face of the ridicule. So, we wanted to go out there and play for him and show that we can play good on all three phases of football, and we went out there and did that today.”
The Raiders have talent but they’ve played without passion all season. Pierce is bringing that passion for football back to the building.
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Ex-Raiders WR & 5-Time Pro Bowler Wants Head Coaching Job