By MARK ANDERSON | AP Sports Writer
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday after just one season as their full-time coach, the latest in a line of coaching changes over the past several years.
“We appreciate Antonio’s leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach,” the team said in a statement. “Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his Silver and Black roots run deep. We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization. We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family in the future.”
Pierce took over as the interim coach midway through the 2023 season and went 5-4 the rest of the way, earning strong player support for him to get the job on a full-time basis.
But the Raiders, after a 2-2 start, went on a 10-game losing streak to put his job in jeopardy. The Raiders dealt with a number of injuries including to defensive linemen Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, navigated the Davante Adams early season drama that culminated with a trade to the New York Jets and finished the season 4-13.
Pierce, a former NFL player who coached at Long Beach Poly High School, was the fourth full-time Raiders coach — Rich Bisaccia closed out the 2021 season as the interim coach — in the past decade.
As for where the Raiders turn next, Mike Vrabel has been rumored as a possible candidate. He and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady were teammates with the Patriots, but Vrabel also figures to attract a lot of attention from other clubs with openings, perhaps including in New England.
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General manager Tom Telesco will need to fix a number of holes to give the new coach a reasonable chance to compete, most notably addressing running back and wide receiver and finding more depth for the defense.
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