HENDERSON — The Las Vegas Raiders fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday after just one season as their full-time coach, the latest in a line of coaching changes over the past several years.

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“We appreciate Antonio’s leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach,” the team said in a statement. “Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his Silver and Black roots run deep. 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.”

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Pierce’s Brief Tenure as Raiders Coach

Pierce took over as the interim coach midway through the 2023 season and went 5-4 the rest of the way, earning strong player support for him to get the job on a full-time basis.

But the Raiders, after a 2-2 start, went on a 10-game losing streak to put his job in jeopardy. The Raiders dealt with a number of injuries including to defensive linemen Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, navigated the Davante Adams early season drama that culminated with a trade to the New York Jets and finished the season 4-13.

Pierce was the fourth full-time Raiders coach — Rich Bisaccia closed out the 2021 season as the interim coach — in the past decade.

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Potential Candidates and Future Challenges

As for where the Raiders turn next, Mike Vrabel has been rumored as a possible candidate. He and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady were teammates with the Patriots, but Vrabel also figures to attract a lot of attention from other clubs with openings, perhaps including in New England.

There are other pressing issues than coach. Las Vegas needs a franchise quarterback, something Pierce did not have at his disposal. Aidan O’Connell has proven to be a capable starter but hasn’t shown he has the ability or consistency to take a team deep into the playoffs.

But simply making the playoffs would be a major step forward for whichever coach gets the job. The Raiders’ most recent postseason appearance was three years ago; before that, they advanced to the playoffs just once since losing in the Super Bowl for the 2002 season.

General manager Tom Telesco will need to fix a number of a number of holes to give the new coach a reasonable chance to compete, most notably addressing running back and wide receiver and finding more depth for the defense.