A quarter of the NFL is now officially on the hunt for a new head coach, with blockbuster announcements from the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots setting up a frenzied off-season this spring.
On Wednesday, the Seahawks announced the departure of Pete Carroll after 14 years in charge of the team he led to the Super Bowl twice, winning one in 2014, with the 72-year-old now moved to an advisory role.
A day later, the football world was stunned by the departure of legendary Bill Belichick from the Patriots after 24 years and six Lombardi Trophies, the last coming in 2018.
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It means the teams already vying for the attention of prospective new HCs now must contend with two of the league’s most illustrious teams, although the Seahawks were only named the fourth-best coaching job available by USA Today before Belechick’s departure.
It provides those other six front offices with a headache, but none more so than the Las Vegas Raiders, whose own interim head coach, Antonio Pierce, is potentially in the process of being poached.
Prior to the huge announcements of the past day, the Raiders were only one of two franchises not to request a head coach interview from an external candidate. The other, the Atlanta Falcons, have since requested an interview with in-demand Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, as per NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.
But now, with no interviews agreed, the Raiders have received a request of their own from the Tennessee Titans - to interview Pierce for their own HC vacancy.
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According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the AFC South team could turn to Pierce as a replacement for Mike Vrabel, although he also intimated Pierce, as expected, would interview with the Raiders.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “The #Titans have requested to interview #Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce for their vacant head coaching job, source said.” He then added, on the Raiders’ interest in their own employee: “Las Vegas may have some competition.”
Plenty on social media were vocal about the possibility of Pierce not staying with the Raiders and potentially going to another franchise.
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“Raiders would be making a HUGE mistake letting him go,” said one NFL fan, while another linked him with the vacancy in Washington. “I could also see Washington reaching out to Antonio as well with their upcoming rebrand & everything for 2024,” before adding, “hopefully Antonio stays with the Raiders though.”
Raiders owner Mark Davis has recently told ESPN he is “really excited” about the job Pierce did, finishing his nine-game spell at 5-4.
"I think the team really played well down the stretch, and I think going 4-2 in the division is really a positive for us," David added. "Obviously, that's what we have to take care of first is the division. And we went into Kansas City, in a tough game, and beat them, and we took care of Denver here at home to end the season."
But while Davis is excited about Pierce, so too are other teams - and the Seahawks and Patriots may now be next in line to take a closer look at him.
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And if not, then the Raiders’ hunt for their own new head coach just became harder, with two of the top jobs in America now up for grabs.
Topics: NFL, American Football
Kristian Walsh