Latest Raiders Leak Shares Harsh Reality for Head Coach Antonio Pierce

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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.

Antonio Pierce’s first full season as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach hasn’t gone nearly as well as his time as the interim head coach. Last season, he went 5-4 after Josh McDaniels was fired and reinvigorated the fan base.

He’s now overseen what could be the Raiders’ worst season since 2006 when they went 2-14 and had the No. 1 overall pick. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently gave some insight into the job status of the coaching staff following their Friday loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and decided to expand on what he’s hearing.

“There’s certainly been a lot of buzz that the Las Vegas Raiders could one-and-done Antonio Pierce come January, and mismanaged situations such as Vegas’s finish at Arrowhead on Friday doesn’t help to quiet those rumors,” Breer wrote in a Dec. 3 column. “Pierce’s staff has undoubtedly felt the uncertainty and hasn’t received any assurances that they’ll be there past Week 18.

“That said, I do think there’s stuff for Pierce to hang his hat on. Clearly, the team is still playing hard. The Raiders have also gone from the NFL’s third-oldest roster to its sixth-youngest, and the young guys are developing. And his move to Scott Turner as OC, after letting Luke Getsy go, has seemed to spark the offense.”

It seems like Pierce still has a chance to retain the job but that may depend on a number of factors.

Raiders Have a QB Mandate?

While Breer did have some positive stuff to say about Pierce, he did bring up an eye-opening leak that he’s heard. According to Breer, there may be a mandate for the Raiders to add a young quarterback after the season.

“So what will be the deciding factor? I’ve heard the football people there could be under a mandate to draft a quarterback in April,” Breer wrote. “And if that’s the plan, whoever the head coach is will have a pretty big impact on who that quarterback is, and how he develops early in his career. This makes the question whether Mark Davis believes Pierce would be the right guy to captain the ship.”

The Raiders obviously have a need at quarterback but as Breer pointed out, this could be cause for concern for Pierce. He has a defensive background and has already proven that he struggles to build an offensive coaching staff. The Raiders may not want to leave their next quarterback’s development in the hands of Pierce.

Who Could Be the QB the Raiders Target?

It’s not a surprise that members of the Raiders organization are pushing for a quarterback. Gardner Minshew was among the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL before he got injured and while Aidan O’Connell has shown flashes, his upside is limited.

Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders has been most commonly linked to the Raiders. He’s also flirted with the idea of joining the franchise. However, he may be the first pick in the draft and there’s no guarantee Las Vegas will have that at the end of the season. The only other quarterback who may be worth a top-10 pick is Miami’s Cam Ward. He should be available to the Raiders as long as they finish with a top-10 pick.