The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to hire Antonio Pierce as their next head coach and the two sides are nearing completion, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press..The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team did not report the matter.Pierce, 45, took office in Las Vegas and#039; interim coach on Halloween night after Josh McDaniels was fired. The Raiders went 5-4 under his watch — the team went 8-9 overall — and the players were in his corner from the start.andquot;Why don’t we continue?andquot; Raiders linebacker Maxx Crosby said after Jan. 7’s 27-14 win over Denver. andquot;The fact that we came together and did something special in such a short time is hard to do. Weand has a guy who played at the highest level, won a Super Bowl, was a captain, and is now a great coach and leader. andquot;.Pierce also won over a large section of fans. The crowd chanted andquot;AP!andquot; because the game against the Broncos was over.Pierce will be tasked with restoring a championship pedigree with a once iconic franchise that has missed the playoffs in 19 of the last 21 seasons. NFL employment rules prohibited owner Mark Davis from hiring Pierce directly. Davis was required to personally interview at least two minority and/or female applicants to comply with the Rooney Rule. He did it.Raiders interviewed former Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. ESPN reports that the club also interviewed former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Kris Richard.Davis was hired from the outside two years ago to replace McDaniels with player favorite Rich Bisaccia, who led the Raiders on an improbable late-season run to the playoffs.When Pierce is in office, he has to make decisions about his staff. He could look for a new offensive coordinator or stick with Bo Hardegree, who became Mick Lombardi’s interim head coach..Additionally, Pierce should work with whoever becomes the manager on personnel matters, including quarterback duties. Pierce selected freshman Aidan Oand#039;Connell as the starter. He improved as the season went on, but did not lose concern about the need for a franchise quarterback. The Raiders will pick 13th overall in this year’s draft #039, so the top QBs are likely gone with the pick. The future of quarterback Josh Jacobs also needs a decision. After leading the NFL in rushing in 2022, Jacobs was embroiled in a contract dispute when the Raiders placed the franchise tag on him. The two sides agreed to a one-year deal after training camp..
