The Raiders are down to their last five games to try to salvage something from the 2024 season.
Mathematically, the Raider have been eliminated from playoff contention and this year has officially become more about next year.
Everyone is talking about the quarterback position in Las Vegas, but long before a decision can be made on the quarterback, the Raiders have a determination to make on the future of head coach Antonio Pierce.
It’s been a forgettable season for Pierce from the standpoint of winning games, but considering the circumstances around the organization this year, does he deserve another year on the job?
Team color commentator Lincoln Kennedy said this week that he feels Pierce deserves to be back next year, and former Seahawks and 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman shared an even stronger message to the Raiders this week.
“They set him up for failure and if you fire him, it’s such BS” Sherman said on The Richard Sherman Podcast.
“You didn’t give him a good enough team to do anything more than what they’re doing. They had the Kansas City Chiefs on the ropes, done for. But he’s had to do this with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. These aren’t necessarily elite quarterbacks,” Sherman continued. “You knew this wasn’t going to be an attractive job this last offseason, so did you just give it to Antonio Pierce so he can bite the bullet this season just to fire him until it was a more attractive position, and you have a higher draft pick and you can get a quarterback of the future?”
“If they do that, I’d be so pissed off because that’s total BS. You set the man up for failure. Expected him to fail. Fired him for failing with no chance.”
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Pierce was asked last week for his thoughts on the AFC West, and he turned his answer to what he perceives to be the Raiders biggest issue this year.
“Quarterback play. Bottom line. quarterback play,” Pierce said. “Last night [we faced] a rookie quarterback and we were bringing the house at him. Very first play of the game we came after him. At the end of the game, we was coming after him. The did never flinched. [He] didn’t blink. You watch Patrick Mahomes there yesterday… it’s 27-27, he’s running the ball like he’s running out of bounds, steps up and goes another 20 yards. And then you look at Justin Herbert. The quarterback play with the other three teams, to me, is the biggest difference.”
It was a candid response from Pierce, who has proven in the last year that he doesn’t shy away from sharing his opinions.
To his point, though, the Raiders were a much more competitive team last week when their quarterback play improved behind O’Connell.
O’Connell might not be the long-term answer for the organization at quarterback, but he gets a five-game audition to make his case. If nothing else, the Raiders look like they have a serviceable backup, and maybe a little more, in their second-year quarterback.
As for Pierce, he hasn’t been fired yet, and it is believed that owner Mark Davis still thinks highly of him. Tom Brady is expected to have input on the coaching decision, but it’s been rumored that Brady might be a few years away from fully diving in as an owner.
To this point, Brady has indicated that he wants to remain committed to his $375 million deal with FOX Sports, and his role as a commentator could limit some of his capabilities as an owner. Brady has been one of Davis’s top consultants for a while and that doesn’t figure to change anytime soon.
x: @raidersbeat
At the end of the day, the buck stops with the HC. They have to blow him out with all the other coaches.
This would be true if he didn’t pick the OC that picked Minshew. He picked the staff, the staff failed him. Therefore he failed himself by not surrounding himself with guys that were competent. Getsy was a horrendous OC pick, that was all AP
AP is a HC in training. Our division record tells you how he’s faired going head to head against Reid, Payton, and Harbaugh. All three of those coach’s teams will probably make the playoffs, this year!
The truth was AP chose Kingsbury and then either Mark Davis or Tom Telesco wouldn’t give him a third year. Personally I think AP hasn’t earned another chance but neither has Telesco as it was him that brought in Minshew and didn’t re-sign Jacobs. Sherm is right as better OC and better QB make all the difference.
Not true! You know nothing! They had Kliff Kingsbury but he flaked last minute. so we took what’s left. Also, he didn’t get the job until mid offseason. He wasn’t given a full offseason to get his players and his staff. do your research before you type.
When you go through so many changes, like injuries, diva players, coaching changes, in one year and you can still get the team to believe in you, in your philosophy, you are a true coach, AP is a true head coach.
BRING HIM BACK!!!
I’ve been a raider fan since the early 80s and feeling the pain of all these losing seasons since Rich Gannon. I feel, with this head coach, We are around the corner from being back again.
commitment to excellence! Lets go!!
AP deserves another year period!
It’s Really Terrible That Da Raiders Let Go Of Josh Jacob’s And Standout Wide Receiver Dante Adam’s !!!!!! If They Had Of Stayed Another Year With Then Starting Quarterback Carr. The Raider’s Would Be In Da Playoff Hunt !!!!!! Team Owner And Management SEVERELY DROPPED DA BALL !!!!!!!! AND ITS TRULY SAD
Get him a top qb round 1. Get him a good running back round 2. Round 3 two picks and 2 wide receivers. Pay koonce pay Spillane get some free agents. You still have 6 picks in the draft. Use them wisely. Now we can play in our division and any other. This is what AP needs not being fired. Go gettum coach.Rrrraaaaaaiderzzzzzz!!!!!!!!
They need help on the O-line. All the other positions will improve.
KC we are knocking on your door. Next year we will knock it down!
We have a lot more to worry about than KC. The two other teams look light years ahead of us. They have elite HC. We probably won’t win a division game this year, What does that tell you? AP can’t even make the correct game crunch time decisions. And don’t forget his poor clock and timeout management. We’ll be in the division cellar as long as AP is HC.
You don’t need no elite quarterback to win in the NFL, Antonio Pierce is the one who is solely responsible for creating a quarterback competition/controversy upon being hired as raiders head coach, Aidan O’Connell has played the qb position better then all 2022 qb’s {minus cj stroud}that were drafted higher,O’Connell{5-5} had a better rookie season then Derek Carr {3-13}and Carr was QB1 for 9yrs,the Raiders 2024 season is a direct result of {HC}Antonio Pierce/{GM}Tom Telesco/{OC}Luke Getsy decision to make Gardner Minshew th QB1 instead of continuing with the development of O’Connell. Richard Sherman could do the #RaiderNation and Raiders good by staying out of personnel issues that do not require his input
Exactly on point…AP musr go..AOC is a good QB.
Stop with all the outside complaining about something that’s none of their business… coach Pierce made a good move in replacing the offensive coordinator and the Raiders are showing major improvement… now is the time to build on the positive of the changes and go forward… look brady wasn’t a number one pick he had a good coach who put people and players together…so to say the Raiders need a mega star Quarterback and pay millions to a washed up super star another waist of a season… sometimes you just have to let a team develop together and stop with the quick fix… something good is starting with this new offensive coordinator and offensive team build on it… when you have a good team Quarterbacks will come calling… and no to Sanders as quarterback or coach to much dirty laundry… build on what you have and that goes for Coach Pierce to your heading in the right direction…
Coach Pierce of Raiders does not speak as a leader. Leaders have technique of speaking in public as to media. If he speaks that way to media you cannot communicate a clear message to your team . Actions are word and character.
I agree 100% with Richard Sherman.
My take on all this is if Antonio Pierce would have made these changes before the season ever started, we would be in a contention for a playoff spot. Everyone deserves a chance. Give him another year. We are in 22 years of losing. When is the losing for us is going to end.
I have been a Raider fan all my life. Since 2002 I’ve watched the struggles and slowly lost faith in the team. When Antonio Pierce stepped in and stepped up, got the locker room behind him I felt hope for the team. I still have hope and faith and I 100% agree that if he’s fired it’s bullshit and he’s been set up to fail. And why the hell was Aidan O’Connell not named starter in the first place? Bonehead move there and I will say Pierce should have told Getsy and Telasico “AOC is the guy or I walk.”
How do you know that AP wasn’t onboard with Minshew starting??? Fact is that if he’s too weak to impose his will on the roster, he’s not up to the task of leading this team.
I agree to a point. He made a lot of mistakes. Coaching mistakes. Kicking field goals when the obvious choice would have been to try and score a TD. Not challenging plays. Ect.
Another year of AP gets us top 10 draft pick in 2026. All for it!!
Sherman is a mouthpiece. Didn’t hesr him whining about setting McDaniels up. They gave Pierce a job he didn’t really earn and he has shown he’s in over his head. He picked his staff and he chose his QBs. Nobody else is making those bad game management decisions. Nobody else is running this team. AP simply took a HC job to early and isn’t experienced enough.
Raiders organization is cursed with disorganization. This is on no player.
Richard acts like AP was just handed the current roster and coaching staff. Like he had nothing to do with the player and coach selections. Truth is that he actually put together this staff and had a big input on the final roster. Fact is that even if he had Carr as QB, the team probably would still have as bad a record. He finished 5-4 last year with the same QB currently on the roster, so what has changed? AP hasn’t proven that he can hang with the coaches within the division, Reid, Payton, and Harbaugh. It will take him light years to measure up to these guys. Richard’s blind take is BS.
I think Richard Sherman had a good point, AP need another chance as head coach. The Raiders need to attract better free agent player that wants to play football not to come for the money or a few years to rest before they retire. We need good hard nose players that wants to help Crosby win.
The offense fails to generate points and the defense is constantly on the field. Eventually when you get rid of your starting QB,RB,WR1,WR2,TE and only replace the TE then your team will suffer. We’ve been here before and within a couple of years and good football coach we made the playoffs only to lose due to not having our starting QB. Then they got rid of a good OC and predictably had a down year. Then Mark decided to hire Gruden who again took a good team and made it worse. Luckily he left and the team made the playoffs getting so close to defeating the eventual AFC champions. So does Mark hire the right guy, nope. Then the **** really hit the fan. Doesn’t it seem that know matter what he does Mark Davis continues to screw us fans over again and again?
Life long fan since my first pair pj and I’m 61 tired of loosing Mr Davis maybe it’s time to sell and give someone another shot iwant to true raider football pls don’t trade Crosby maybe we can try sanders dad and son but we also need o line help please let’s go raiders would like 1more c super bowl before I go pls just give us a chance to I hope we don’t we don’t have to wait to for new owners to give a chance Thanks and go raiders black hole. Gang and raider nation Thanks Doug McDonald
Pierce has made some mistakes like sticking with OC to long. You can see how much better offense is with him gone. Think he needs to win a couple of last games or he will be out.
We need to get rid of Telesco. He was the one that came in traded players. He came in and just sabotage us point blank.
Dude wanted Kingsbury, Telesco gave him Getsy, Telesco picked Minshew, even though AOC looked better,but since they gave Minshew 15 million that cemented him as the starter. And Getsy with his stupid zone run bullshit. AOC looked good with power o and PA. Another season is needed for AP. The GM ,cut AP’s balls off.
AP is not a leader, a leader accepts responsibility. AP has pointed fingers at e everyone but himself for the failures of this team. It’s the coaches, it’s the running game, the QB, the blocking the defense. He has blamed everyone and everything but himself. A plays the victim and will always play the victim, victims can never one leaders of men. They create victims. Everywhere he’s been it’s always someone else’s fault. AP doesn’t have the skills to be a HC, he’s a position coach at best. And this is the result of when you hire a person that isn’t a HC. AP doesn’t deserve another year and he will go down as the worst coach in the history of this once fine organization. AP does not deserve the chance to ruin a young QB and if I were a QB I would come out to the media. Raiders do not draft me, you have a dysfunctional organization and I will not play, you are wasting a pick if you draft me. I will not sign and I will go back into the draft next year.