Raiders can hire new coach at any time; will it be Antonio Pierce?

Many want the Raiders to hire Antonio Pierce to be the team’s next coach. The Raiders can do so, at any time.

The Rooney Rule, which requires in-person interviews of at least two minority candidates, has been satisfied. Pierce can be given the job right now.

He arguably deserves it. Thrust into the interim coach role following the firing of Josh McDaniels during his second year on the job, Pierce went 5-4. The players love Pierce. Star defensive end Maxx Crosby might demand a trade if Pierce doesn’t get the job. He seems to have the chops to be the kind of leader any team would need.

Two years ago, owner Mark Davis whiffed by moving on from interim coach Rich Bisaccia and G.M. Mike Mayock, after they held the team together through significant adversity and nearly beat the Bengals in the wild-card round. Will Davis want to risk blowing it again, especially if Pierce might end up coaching the Titans or the Falcons or some other team?

Of course, the Raiders also could interview and immediately hire any other candidate, whether it be Mike Vrabel or Jim Harbaugh or Pete Carroll or someone else.

The prudent move would be to give Pierce a chance. With a deep roster of successful and experienced coaches available, however, Davis could choose to swing for the fences.

That’s what Davis did two years ago. And he hit himself in the face with the bat.

Raiders to make head coach, GM announcement soon?

The Las Vegas Raiders appear to have decided on a new head coach and general manager.

The Raiders this week interviewed Kris Richard and Leslie Frazier for their vacant head coach job. In doing so, they satisfied the Rooney Rule by interviewing two external minority candidates. Most people believe the interviews were merely a technicality, as it seems Mark Davis has already decided to hire Antonio Pierce.

According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders are expected to soon name Pierce their head coach and Champ Kelly their general manager.

The Raiders also satisfied the Rooney Rule by interviewing external GM candidates, but it seems like neither their head coach nor their GM job was ever truly open.

We already saw one major hint this week that Pierce and Kelly are sticking around. Raiders players have also made it clear that they want Pierce to remain head coach, and one of the team’s biggest stars has reportedly threatened to demand a trade if it does not happen.

The Raiders promoted Pierce from linebackers coach to interim head coach after they fired Josh McDaniels midway through the season. Kelly was promoted from assistant general manager to general manager after Dave Ziegler was fired. Las Vegas went 5-4 after making the changes