Las Vegas Raiders: What does the team need to accomplish for Antonio Pierce to keep his job?

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce — Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As the losses pile up, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce likely feels some urgency with his job on the line.

CBS Sports broadcaster Jay Feely said Pierce had been transparent in the pregame production meeting before the Raiders and Miami Dolphins kicked off last Sunday. Feely mentioned that Pierce made changes to his staff because he wanted to wear his team’s colors next season.

Last week, The Atheltic’s Vic Tafur dismissed the idea that Pierce is in a position to tank for a higher draft pick.

“It’s too early to play the injury card and, sorry fans, Pierce has no interest in losing games, or tanking, for a higher draft pick,” Tafur wrote. “Not when there is no guarantee that he’ll be around to enjoy the new, shiny quarterback.”

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Fox broadcaster and Raiders’ minority stake holder Tom Brady will be heavily involved with the Raiders’ football decisions.

“While Brady is busy broadcasting for Fox and may have only 10 percent equity in the Raiders, I expect his involvement in running the team to be closer to 90 percent. We already know the organization wants to lean on Brady when picking a future quarterback. One of Davis’s strengths is his openness to listening to experienced football people, and he values Brady’s understanding of what it takes to win at a high level.”

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So, Pierce understands that the Raiders need to play better football for him to coach the team in 2025 and beyond.

Without knowing what the Raiders’ majority and minority owners want, Pierce needs three key developments in his favor.

Raiders need to win multiple games, avoid several blowout losses

If the Raiders finish 2-15 and they’re blown out in most of their remaining games, Pierce will need to find a new job.

The Silver and Black hasn’t finished a season with two wins since Art Shell’s second stint as the lead skipper in 2006. If Pierce sets a low that’s comparable to one of the worst teams in franchise history, Davis has to wipe the slate clean again.

So, how many wins does Pierce need? Perhaps two more victories for a respectable 4-13 record. Again, the Raiders would probably need to be competitive in most of their losses, too.

If a team loses in blowout fashion week after week, it can wear on the culture. Assuming Davis wants to set the foundation for a winning culture, he should think twice about allowing a head coach whose team regressed as he transitioned from interim to a full-time position.

Antonio Pierce coaching record: 7-11 as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach

Looking ahead, Las Vegas has three opponents with losing records between November and December. The Raiders will travel to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14 and New Orleans Saints in Week 17. They will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16.

Some Raider fans would prefer losses to ensure a top 2025 draft pick, but players don’t take the field to lose, and Pierce must make sure he’s back next year.

Though the Saints have shown improvement since firing Dennis Allen and promoting special teams coach Darren Rizzi to interim head coach, the Raiders still have a shot at pulling off a win against New Orleans’ injury-riddled roster. The Saints don’t have high-level pass-catchers and lost multiple defensive backs to injury or trade (Marshon Lattimore).

In Week 11, the Jaguars showed some lethargy in a 52-6 loss to the Detroit Lions, and their quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, is out because of a shoulder injury. The Jaguars have lost four consecutive games, scoring just 13 points over the last two weeks. They may fire head coach Doug Pederson during their Week 12 bye.

Offense needs to find an identity

According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, Pierce fired three offensive coaches because he didn’t like the direction (or lack thereof) on that side of the ball.

“Just wasn’t heading the direction I wanted to go,” Pierce said.

Pierce also noted the poor “performance, results and production” in the first half of the season. So, he dismissed his original offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, offensive line coach, James Cregg, and quarterbacks coach, Rich Scangarello, after a 41-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Heading into the bye week, the Raiders promoted passing game coordinator Scott Turner to interim offensive coordinator and senior offensive assistant Joe Philbin to interim offensive line coach.

Both of Pierce’s in-house promotions could be upgrades. Though the Raiders lost 35-19 to the Dolphins last Sunday, the offense showed improvement, particularly in the passing game, with Brock Bowers setting a record for catches by a rookie tight end.

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Turner, helped by his father Norv, could elevate Bowers in a pass-heavy offense, creating opportunities for him to show he’s already an elite tight end.

Yet the Raiders must figure out how to establish the run game. They’ve rushed for over 71 yards in only three contests this season. In his first game as the team’s play-caller, the ground attack only produced 60 yards.

As a head coach with a background on the defensive side of the ball, Pierce isn’t involved in the offensive play-calling, but he has a vision for that unit and how it should operate on game day. Pierce is also responsible for hiring and promoting offensive coaches.

If the Raiders offense doesn’t have an identity by the end of the season, it’s a strike against Pierce’s ability to identify coaches who can put players in the best positions to execute his vision.

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Minimize distractions, find consistency

In two months, Pierce has called out unnamed players for making “business decisions” in the home opener against the Carolina Panthers, and he apologized for the “hoopla” that followed those statements.

The Raiders have had two reported intense meetings, one after the loss to the Panthers and another during their Week 10 bye.

SI.com’s Michael Fabiano noted that Pierce liked an Instagram comment about taking the best offer for Davante Adams before it became known that the wide receiver wanted out of Las Vegas.

Between Pierce’s public criticism of his players and social media habits, he must do a better job of keeping team matters in-house.

Pierce has also created a somewhat chaotic situation at quarterback. The Raiders have benched Gardner Minshew three times in two months.

How can players have much faith in a starting signal-caller to lead them when the coaching staff has constantly flirted with change at the position since Week 5?

If Aidan O’Connell hadn’t fractured his thumb in a Week 7 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, he might have held on to the starting job.

Once O’Connell is healthy and off injured reserve, Minshew may be looking over his shoulder if he isn’t already with Desmond Ridder on the roster. Remember, the Raiders benched Minshew for Ridder in the second half of their Week 9 contest with the Bengals.

Pierce has to minimize distractions while quelling the tension between his coaching staff and players and find consistency at the most important position to get the most out of his team and the offense.

If Pierce doesn’t establish a foundation and clear direction to build upon next year, the Raiders may want to find a new architect for their football team.

Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.