Pierce expects to continue as Raiders' coach: I haven't heard different
Head coach Antonio Pierce isn't worried about his job status despite questions lingering about his Las Vegas Raiders tenure.
"I haven't been told anything different," Pierce said when asked if he expected to keep his job going forward, according to The Athletic's Tashan Reed.
He added: "It's only coming from the outside, there's nothing inside the building. To me, there's nothing to clear up until I hear it from inside the building."
However, Pierce acknowledged that he hasn't done enough to win the favor of one of the league's most passionate fanbases after posting a 4-13 record in his first full season as the Raiders' coach.
"You have to win. I understand that," Pierce said, according to The Athletic's Vic Tafur. "But Raider Nation is great, they showed up for all nine of our road games and were loud, and I really appreciate that."
Pierce isn't currently planning on making any changes to his staff, per Reed. However, the franchise must hold interviews for an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach because of the league's Rooney Rule. It's also unclear if defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will return with his contract up this offseason.
Las Vegas fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, offensive line coach James Cregg, and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello in early November. Scott Turner was named the interim OC and Joe Philbin was promoted to interim OL coach.
Pierce went 5-4 as the interim coach in 2023 after the Raiders dismissed head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. However, Las Vegas struggled on both sides of the ball in 2024, finishing the year 29th with 18.2 points per game while allowing 25.5 points per contest.
Pierce said he wishes he went with his gut more this past season, per Reed. He pointed to his decision to start Gardner Minshew over Aidan O'Connell as an example.
Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby are key stars for the franchise to build around. The Raiders will have the No. 6 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.