Decision day: Raiders fire Pierce, while GM gets second season

The Raiders, for the third time in five years, are looking for a full-time coach after firing Antonio Pierce on Tuesday.

Pierce was dismissed 48 hours after completing his first full season in charge. The Raiders finished 4-13 and at one point lost 10 games in a row.

The former NFL linebacker took over on an interim basis last season after coach Josh McDaniels was fired eight games into the 2023 campaign. Pierce, 46, led the Raiders to a 5-4 finish, making his final record with the team 9-17.

Owner Mark Davis decided to move on after deliberating with his circle of advisors, which included new minority owner Tom Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is expected to have a significant voice when it comes to choosing Pierce’s successor.

General manager Tom Telesco, on the other hand, is expected to return for a second season. Davis did not respond to a request for comment.

The Raiders thanked Pierce for his time with the club in a statement Tuesday.

“Antonio grew up a Raiders fan, and his Silver and Black roots run deep,” the team said. “We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization. We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family in the future.”

Next steps

Former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are among the candidates the Raiders are expected to consider. That list could expand in the coming days.

Telesco, 52, was hired in January 2024, the same month Pierce had his interim tag removed. The two were never considered a package deal, however. Davis previously said he would evaluate the two individually once the season was over.

Telesco, who held the same role with the Chargers from 2013-23, had some successes his first year with the Raiders.

He took dynamic Georgia tight end Brock Bowers 13th overall in the 2024 draft. Bowers went on to catch 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns during a record-setting rookie season. Telesco’s second- and third-round picks, Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze, respectively, emerged as first-year starters on the offensive line.

The Raiders’ rookie class, which also included fourth-round pick Decamerion Richardson (cornerback) and waiver claims Jonah Laulu (defensive tackle) and Thomas Harper (safety), logged the second-most snaps in the NFL behind the Rams’.

Davis expressed confidence in Telesco at last month’s NFL owners meetings in Dallas.

“He knows talent pretty damn well,” Davis said. “He had a good draft for us.”

Inexperience showed

The Raiders had high hopes for Pierce after giving him the job full-time. But his success didn’t carry over into this season.

Pierce had game management hiccups. He hired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy in the offseason and then fired him after nine games. Pierce made some eyebrow-raising comments questioning his players’ effort level after a Week 3 loss to the Panthers.

Those missteps created the perception of an inexperienced coach not ready to be in charge of an NFL team.

Pierce was the Raiders’ linebackers coach before replacing McDaniels. He previously coached a high school team at Long Beach Poly from 2014-17 and was an assistant at Arizona State from 2018-22.

Pierce resigned from his position with the Sun Devils in February 2022 amid allegations the program committed recruiting violations. The NCAA punished him with an eight-year show cause in October, meaning he would be suspended for 100 percent of his first season of employment if he was hired by a college team in the next eight years.

The Raiders understood Pierce was facing a steep learning curve when he took over, especially in a division that features successful coaches like Kansas City’s Andy Reid, Denver’s Sean Payton and Los Angeles’ Jim Harbaugh.

Davis was counting on progress throughout the season, however. That didn’t happen. The Raiders appeared to fall further behind the pack in the AFC West with Harbaugh leading the Chargers to the playoffs his first year in charge, while Payton took the Broncos to the postseason in his second.

Davis ultimately decided a change was needed. Now he’ll embark on a coaching search for the second offseason in a row.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com . Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.