The Las Vegas Raiders might have hit the jackpot with their interim head coach.
Antonio Pierce has emerged as the “leading candidate” to get the full-time job, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday morning.
“I would be blown away if Antonio weren’t the pick,” a source told Schefter.
Pierce took over for Josh McDaniels who was fired midseason, and the team finished 5-4 under his leadership.
The ESPN report said that other candidates would still be involved in the process, but that Pierce has “the support of key players there.”
This news comes a day after it was revealed that the Titans were set to interview Pierce for their head coaching vacancy after stunningly firing Mike Vrabel at the conclusion of the regular season.
Earlier this month star Raiders wideout Davante Adams stumped for Pierce to get the permanent job.
“It’s obviously who I wanted and that’s my vote, and I’ve been vocal about that,” Adams told reporters.
“That’s basically how the whole locker room feels and with good reason. He’s come in and done a great job. He’s continued to win us over. It’s not just the comfortable thing. I think having AP here will be good for this organization. He kind of embodies what it means to be a Raider.
“That mentality, that swag and all the things he endorses is the things that I believe in. It’s easy for a guy like me, especially having dealt with him a little bit this year now and gotten to know him and see his evolution in front of the team. All those things, all those different fields of being a head coach. Definitely rooting for him.”
Pierce played linebacker in the NFL from 2001-09, with the latter years including a Super Bowl championship with the Giants.
He was head coach of Long Beach Poly High School in California from 2014-17, before joining Herm Edwards’ staff at Arizona State as a defensive assistant.
He resigned from Arizona State in 2022 after he was named in an NCAA investigation about recruiting violations, and joined the Raiders’ staff as linebackers coach later that year.