Getty Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis.
After months of speculation since Josh McDaniels was fired, the Las Vegas Raiders will soon be able to launch their head coaching search. Interim head coach Antonio Pierce is in the running to get the full-time job but owner Mark Davis is going to do a comprehensive search.
Davis hasn’t hinted at what he plans to do but some key information is starting to leak as the 2023 regular season nears its end. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders recently made a move that could hint at what they plan to do.
“At a team meeting this week, Raiders coaches and staffers were told that they would not be blocked from looking for other jobs, but that the organization wanted to be kept in the loop on any potential opportunities, according to league sources,” Schefter wrote in a January 6 column.
“Some took this to mean that Pierce and GM Champ Kelly are not locks to have their interim tags removed, according to sources. If they were a lock, the Raiders would want Pierce and Kelly to retain many of their assistants, the same ones who now have permission to seek employment elsewhere.”
What this likely means is that Davis truly hasn’t made up his mind about what he’s going to do with the coaching staff. That said, this isn’t even Pierce’s coaching staff that he put together so it could mean nothing. The Raiders need an overhaul on their offensive coaching staff but it would be a blow if defensive coordinator Patrick Graham were to leave due to the uncertainty of Pierce’s status.
Mark Davis Doesn’t Care About Money
Mark Davis has wasted a lot of money on failed head coaches. Jack Del Rio, Jon Gruden and Josh McDaniels were all owed big money when they were let go. While there’s been a narrative in the past that Davis is cheap and doesn’t have a lot of money to waste, Adam Schefter reports that is not the case.
“Davis doesn’t care about the money he owes Jon Gruden, McDaniels and [Dave] Ziegler or what it would take to lure another coach and GM,” Schefter wrote. “He just wants to hit and have this organization win. Not that Davis won’t conduct a thorough interview process, but Pierce and Kelly already have more than their fair share of supporters. They still need the biggest supporter, Davis, to sign off to make their hirings official.”
Hiring Antonio Pierce would be a much cheaper option for Davis but it doesn’t seem that cost will factor into his decision.
Mark Davis Take a Big Swing?
Antonio Pierce has the support of the Raiders players and he’s certainly overperformed as the interim head coach. The team has gone 4-4 under the coach and the defense is top-10 in points allowed for the first time since 2002.
However, Pierce has only been coaching at the NFL level for two seasons and it’s largely unknown how he’ll perform when he gets a full year to put a team and staff together. Mark Davis is known to like making splashy hires and keeping Pierce is the opposite of that.
If Davis wants a star head coach in Las Vegas, expect him to pursue big names like Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.