We’ve had a good week when it comes to NFL coaches and the vacancies their firings have created. Three teams fired their head coaches during the season and had interims at the end of the year, and five more franchises have joined the list since the regular season concluded last Sunday.
And as teams request interviews and begin the recruiting process, Antonio Pierce has been one of the most talked about names from the beginning.
There are still 7 vacancies for head coaches in the NFL
From The Insiders on #NFLPlus: #Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce is in demand. pic.twitter.com/pfELLN4EJ5
– Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 12, 2024
The coaching talent pool available this year is one of the deepest we’ve seen in recent memory. Bill Belichick, of course, tops the list, but Mike Vrabel is looking for a new team and there is reason to believe that Jim Harbaugh is looking to return to the NFL. There are also promising guys like Ben Johnson and Bobby Slowik who could finally get top spots this year.
But so far, it has been Antonio Pierce who has made some of the headlines. He doesn’t have any full-season coaching experience, but he took over the Las Vegas Raiders on an interim basis last season and the results were mostly positive. Pierce was able to completely change the atmosphere of the locker room in a matter of just a couple of weeks, and the team had a winning record of 5-4 under his direction.
He did enough to win over some of the team’s most important players. Last week, both Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby gave their support to the Raiders bringing Pierce back full-time, as players are likely looking for consistency above all else.
The Titans have an interview scheduled with Pierce
#HireAP
– 🦅MaddMaxx🦅 (@CrosbyMaxx) January 12, 2024
But the Titans also have interest. Tennessee was one of the NFL teams to fire its head coach this week, letting Mike Vrabel go in a move that may have come as a shock to some. But they haven’t wasted much time asking for interviews, and one of them will be with Antonio Pierce and will take place over the weekend.
Crosby must have heard the news and took to his Twitter account to share his feelings about the situation again. The message was simple: “#HireAP”
The Titans will also reunite with current Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. The Raiders have not yet scheduled interviews.
