The Las Vegas Raiders took their time but they made a decision on head coach Antonio Pierce. The team announced on Tuesday that they have decided to move on from the coach.
This comes just a year after he was given the full-time head coaching job following an impressive 5-4 run as the interim head coach in 2023. However, he couldn’t recapture that same success this season as the Raiders went 4-13.
General manager Tom Telesco is expected to stay and he’ll likely play a big role in picking the next head coach. Now that the Raiders head coaching job is open, some big names are starting to get linked to the team.
Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal mentioned that former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll could be a name to watch. He wasn’t ready to give up on the Seahawks yet last year but the team went in another direction.
Even though he’s 73 years old, he would still like to coach more. The Raiders may prefer to build around a younger coach who they can have for a long time but Carroll is a culture builder with a track record of success. He could jump at the opportunity if the Raiders come calling.
Raiders Also Linked to Mike Vrabel
The Raiders are likely going to launch a full coaching search and look at many candidates. Among the most obvious coaches they could target is former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. He’s been linked to the job for months and Bonsignore also listed him as a name to watch for Las Vegas.
Vrabel doesn’t have any connections to the Raiders or Las Vegas but he does have a close relationship with part owner Tom Brady. With the former quarterback expected to play a role in the hiring process, it makes sense why they’d look at Vrabel.
