Raiders hope to make a last stand for interim coach in finale

For teams eliminated from playoff contention, a sense of finality can dominate the last week of an NFL season.

The Raiders find themselves in that situation as they prepare to face the Broncos on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

But there is also the feeling of unfinished business. That comes in the form of the last stand they can make for interim coach Antonio Pierce, whose candidacy for the permanent job gets a strong endorsement from several players who have grown to appreciate and respect their new leader.

They have one more game to show how much they want Pierce to be part of the long-term journey.

“I mean, it’s obviously who I want. That’s my vote,” wide receiver Davante Adams said. “And I’ve been vocal about that.”

Said Aidan O’Connell, whose ascension to the starting quarterback role coincided with the dismissal of Josh McDaniels and the elevation of Pierce from linebackers coach to interim head coach: “Obviously, he’s a defensive coach, but throughout the game, throughout practice, like I said, he’s a constant supporter. So, AP has been awesome to me since I’ve gotten here.”

No matter what happens this week, the Raiders will open an extensive coaching search that follows the NFL’s interview and hiring process. That includes interviewing at least two minority candidates from outside their building.

The Raiders job is expected to draw wide interest, with current Michigan coach and former San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh among the big names already connected to the job.

Pierce is well-aware there will be competition for the position.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” he said. “It’s the Raiders we’re talking about. Best of the best.”

His leg up is the eight-week audition he’s been given, and with it, a chance to connect with a locker room that previously only knew him as a former NFL player and the team’s linebackers coach since 2022.

In that time, those players have seen an inexperienced coach grow and mature as a decision-maker while also teaching and personifying what it means to be a Raiders player. Through that process, they have come to respect him, not just for the short term but as someone they hope to move forward with.

“I mean, he’s come in and done a great job, and he’s continued to win us over,” Adams said. “It’s not just the comfortable thing. I think having AP here will be a big deal for this organization. He kind of embodies what it means to be a Raider and that mentality, that swag, and all the things that he endorses are the things that I believe in.”

Adams, who has played for multiple coaches during his time in the NFL and can sort the good from the bad and the real from the fake, believes the Raiders are onto something with Pierce.

“It’s easy for a guy like me, especially having dealt with him a little bit this year now and gotten to know him and see his evolution in front of the team and all those things, all the different feels of being head coach,” Adams said.

Pierce appreciates the support.

“You earn respect, right? It’s not given. You earn it, and obviously I’m still in that process of earning their respect,” Pierce said. “And at the end of the day, like I said, they’ll show, and I’ll show, what we do on the grass. That’s the bottom line.

“That’s what we’re all being evaluated on, is what we do on Sundays, on game day, and I appreciate their support and we’ll let the chips fall at the end of the season.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.