Insiders Seem to Hint that Champ Kelly and Antonio Pierce Hirings are Coming Soon

The Raiders haven’t announced their next GM or head coach, but all signs right now seem to point to Champ Kelly and Antonio Pierce being retained.

Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter is one a few insiders that seem to be gaining confidence that an announcement by the Raiders is coming soon.

“I think Champ Kelly and Antonio Pierce could be announced at any time on Thursday,” Carpenter said in a Question and Answer column on Tuesday. “I don’t think it will be at the end of the month; I think it will be sooner.”

The Athletic‘s Vic Tafur has been suggesting for a while that Kelly is the frontrunner to be named GM, and while this (below) might have been a guess on timing, it probably wasn’t as much of a guess on the people involved.

The other element at work right now is that Pierce seems to be gaining confidence that he is going to get the job.

At the Martin Luther King parade in Las Vegas on Monday, Pierce made comments that definitely didn’t sound like a coach that is leaving the organization…

Nick Walters on Twitter: “”It’s a dream. I don’t want to pinch myself until it becomes official.”Antonio Pierce talks racial inclusion and Raiders head coach candidacy with @KTNV at MLK parade in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/oDEbkw6iY6 / Twitter”

“It’s a dream. I don’t want to pinch myself until it becomes official.”Antonio Pierce talks racial inclusion and Raiders head coach candidacy with @KTNV at MLK parade in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/oDEbkw6iY6

As for any prospective coaches interviewing for the Raiders’ job, it can’t be a great sign that Pierce was walking the town on Monday with one of the members of the interview panel…

Paul Gutierrez on Twitter: “#Raiders Richard Seymour, Antonio Pierce, Champ Kelly rep at MLK Parade, and @JaneeM23 with the shot that speaks volumes. pic.twitter.com/k4JblgoAMF / Twitter”

Raiders Richard Seymour, Antonio Pierce, Champ Kelly rep at MLK Parade, and @JaneeM23 with the shot that speaks volumes. pic.twitter.com/k4JblgoAMF

Pierce reportedly interviewed with the Raiders on Monday and former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier was scheduled to interview with the team on Tuesday.

Not a lot is known about the other candidates in the mix, but it doesn’t seem like Jim Harbaugh has been linked to the Raiders nearly as much over the last few days. Whether or not that is coincidence, we’ll find out soon enough…

twitter: @raidersbeat

Share:

3 thoughts on “Insiders Seem to Hint that Champ Kelly and Antonio Pierce Hirings are Coming Soon

  1. To be totally honest, it really should not be a major issue. The performers (players) have
    all stated that the interim GM and the interim Head Coach are the people that they will go
    to war for. The fact that the Raider organization has agreed to pay the last two coaches for
    not doing the job should be evidence that maybe they should ride with the players this time.

  2. I want Harbaugh to be our next HC. With that said, I am content with giving Champ Bailey and Antonio Pierce a shot. I couldn’t understand why we didn’t give Rich Bisachia the opportunity, but hey, that’s two years ago. With that said, if Harbaugh goes to the Chargers, which I believe will happen, we will be in the toughest coaching division of the NFL in the AFC West. Reid with the Chiefs, S. Payton with the Broncos, and Harbaugh with the Chargers. Six games a year, minimum we will be competing against these teams, depending on the playoffs if we ever get in and one of the other 3 get in. WE NEED A QB!!! Personally, I would like us to do whatever possible to get Daniels from LSU. No Justin Field, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Drop Garropalo, J. Jacobs, and Renfrow for sure. Build the o and d line. Get back to fundamentals of no penalties and no stupid turnovers.

Comments are closed.