The Las Vegas Raiders’ 2023 regular season is officially finished, and what a crazy season it has been. After head coach Josh McDaniels was fired, the club might have collapsed, but interim head coach Antonio Pierce kept things together and led them to a 5-4 finish toward the end of the season.
In the Week 18 season finale, the Raiders defeated the Broncos 27-14, and Pierce has positioned himself to potentially win the role of head coach on a full-time basis. That choice, though, will ultimately depend on what owner Mark Davis desires.
Paul Gutierrez of ESPN reports that Davis is “really excited” about the work Pierce completed this season.
In an interview with Gutierrez on January 7, Davis said, “Yeah, I think the team really played well down the stretch, and I think going 4-2 in the division is really a positive for us.” “Obviously, the division is the first thing we need to address. And to close up the season, we handled Denver at home after going into Kansas City and defeating them [20–14 on Christmas Day].
Mark Davis Talks About The Timeline
There have been suggestions that the Raiders should just take Antonio Pierce off the interim tag and give him a promotion right away, but it would go against the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which mandates that the organization interview at least two individuals who identify as women or members of underrepresented groups. If they violated the rule, they risked losing a draft pick and paying a hefty fine.
Mark Davis is aware of this and intends to abide by the regulations.
Antonio Pierce Talks About His Objectives If Hired by HC
Antonio Pierce concluded the 2023 season with a bang by handling business in Week 18. That will only increase his chances of being hired as the head coach on a full-time basis. Pierce discussed his plans for the club should he be retained, but he will now have to wait for the Raiders’ coaching search to conclude.
