When the Las Vegas Raiders fired Josh McDaniels During the 2023 season, the Las Vegas Raiders had Antonio Pierce as an interim head coach, and it seemed like the team would go through major changes after the season. However, Pierce performed well in this role and was eventually given the full-time head coaching job.
That nearly wasn't the situation as the owner Mark Davis did think about his choices. One of those choices involved the famous former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, according to a report from ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham, and Jeremy Fowler.
“The Raiders had just dismissed a couple of Belichick’s former followers in Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler,” Van Natta, Wickersham, and Fowler stated in an April 17 column. “Owner Mark Davis contemplated reaching out to Belichick, but instead, he confirmed Antonio Pierce as the head coach after talking to other candidates.”
It seems that Davis' curiosity about Belichick was just exploratory, but it's something he at least pondered on. Belichick has six Super Bowl championships as a head coach and is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Nevertheless, he didn’t land a head coaching job this offseason. Belichick has a particular way of doing things, and that doesn't sit well with some people. Pierce has been all about positive vibes since getting the Raiders job, so Davis must have preferred a more positive culture after parting ways with McDaniels.
Returning to the Patriot Way Would Have Been Controversial
Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler attempted to bring the “Patriot Way” to Las Vegas, but it didn't succeed. The “Patriot Way” emphasizes attention to details and playing fair football. Although it has proven to be successful, it takes away a lot of the enjoyment from playing football.
The demeanor of Raiders players changed abruptly after McDaniels and Ziegler were let go. The “Patriot Way” didn't result in much success in Las Vegas, which makes it much harder to follow. The “Patriot Way” even stopped working in New England, as the Patriots missed the playoffs in three of the last four seasons.
A return to the “Patriot Way” in Las Vegas probably wouldn't have been well received by players and fans, even if it was under Belichick. He's one of the greatest coaches ever, but the timing for him potentially joining the Raiders was not right.
Was Antonio Pierce the Right Choice?
There were some very capable coaches available for the Raiders to hire this offseason, such as Bill Belichick, Jim Harbaugh , and Mike Vrabel. Although those three have more experience than Antonio Pierce, the Raiders didn't even interview any of them. The team was clearly convinced by Pierce after he went 5-4 as the interim head coach and had players endorsing him.
It's certainly a risky decision considering Pierce has only been coaching at the NFL level for two years. He's unparalleled in terms of being a motivator, but it's not clear how he'll handle game management. The Raiders have tried numerous head coaches over the years, and all have failed over the last two decades. By opting for the inexperienced Pierce, the team is trying something different, but perhaps they needed to take a big swing to finally find the right person.
