The verdict is finally in. After going into the press conference yesterday as the head coach, there were to be talks about his future. The Raiders front office has decided to fire Antonio Pierce and relieved him of his head coaching duties.

Pierce failed to build off the strong finish he guided the Raiders to during the 2023 season. The Raiders finished with a 4-13 record and hold the sixth overall pick in the upcoming draft. This is a cause for concern, as the Raiders have undergone three coaching changes inside this decade.

What Went Wrong for the Raiders

There is a mountain of things that went wrong for the Raiders. The decision to start Gardner Minshew and have the quarterback carousel became an issue. Pierce calling out his own players publicly left a sour taste in their mouths and ultimately led to star wide receiver Davante Adams asking for a way out of town. After going 2-2, the Raiders went on a ten game losing streak until finally winning two of their final three games.

Injuries mounted high and was a reason for the seasons failures. Losing Malcolm Koonce was a massive blow, as he was looking strong in training camp. Star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins was done for the season, and the team also lost Maxx Crosby and Nate Hobbs.

The offense lacked any rhythm, as the run game was poor and the play calling was even worse. The biggest x-factors became their biggest issue and the Raiders just continued their losing ways. Pierce was a rookie head coach and often times looked that way with the decisions he made. It’s a new chapter ahead, but this team needs direction.

The Raiders Need Direction

This is what bad teams do. Having this kind of turnover is not sustainable for success. You can look at the Texans who fired one after another until they found their guy in Ryans. But for the Raiders this is the third coach they’ve fired since 2021.

The Raiders went from Jon Gruden, to Josh McDaniels, to Antonio Pierce. That’s not a recipe for success, as with each new coach comes it’s own staff and comes learning new schemes and you just are in this continuous rebuilding cycle. Whether it was Pierce or not, changes to the staff were coming anyways.

The Raiders certainly need to find a legitimate offensive coordinator, even though Scott Turner did a good job to end the year. Patrick Graham is currently a free agent and seeking employment as we speak. This is something Maxx Crosby has spoke on. Since being drafted, Crosby has now undergone four head coaches and is going to be on his fifth one. Crosby has also spoke up on how he wants to win and that’s the biggest question this offseason.

The work truly begins now, with their draft board and their head coaching search. Other candidates are making their rounds and the Raiders need to throw their hat in the ring.