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Paul Gutierrez, ESPN editor
HENDERSON, Nev. — What a difference a year makes.
Cigar smoke and good vibes permeated the Las Vegas Raiders‘ locker room at Allegiant Stadium as legends such as Jim Plunkett, Charles Woodson, Ted Hendricks and Jim Otto joined the team after its victory over the Denver Broncos during the 2023 season finale.
Finishing 3-1 – including 3-0 against AFC West opponents during that stretch – to go 8-9 overall surely meant better times were ahead. Then-interim coach Antonio Pierce, who had tapped into the franchise’s DNA as a guy who grew up a Silver and Black fan in Los Angeles, had won over much of the franchise’s base. fans with its raw style, making continuity essential.
But the 2024 campaign ended in a much less festive way, when Pierce was fired Tuesday after finishing 4-13 and last in the division. The Raiders are looking for their fifth coach since 2021.
Sunday’s 34-20 playoff loss Los Angeles Chargers finished a disappointing campaign that included a 10-game losing streak and its first winless season against the AFC West since 2006. Victorious cigar nights were replaced with head scratching and shoulder shrugging.
Pierce was elevated to full-time coaching in 2024 after sufficiently impressing Davis late in his interim period and gaining support from star players like Edge Rusher. Max Crosby and the receiver Davante Adams. Both campaigned hard enough for Pierce (Crosby even pseudo-threatened to ask for a trade if Pierce wasn’t hired) that Davis did what he hadn’t done three years before: stick with the popular interim coach.
In 2021, after Rich Bisaccia led the Raiders to their second playoff appearance since 2002, Davis took the opposite route, instead hiring Josh McDaniels, who lasted only 25 games.
So why didn’t Pierce last?
The NFL is a production business and, according to Davis, the Raiders under Pierce simply haven’t produced enough wins.
Winless in the division for the first time sinceBeforedrafting JaMarcus Russell is one thing. Winning four games, their fewest since 2018, is another.
Questionable game management decisions – when to punt, when to throw it, when to take a timeout – have also been a major problem throughout the season, despite the presence of former veteran head coaches such as Marvin Lewis, Joe Philbin and Norv Turner on the field. staff.
Additionally, the Raiders trailed by double digits in 15 of 17 games and three of their four wins were against teams that went a combined 12-37. Pierce, who had promised a punishing running game, saw the Raiders finish last on the ground. One bright spot was the defense, which entered Week 18 in the top 10 in total defenses.
In an alternate universe, the Raiders made a trade to sign the quarterback. Jayden Daniels and hired offensive player Kliff Kingsbury, rather than signing veteran QB Gardner Minshew and hired a former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Luke Getsy for the same role.
In the real world, Minshew dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness before being lost for the season with a broken collarbone on November 24. Getsy was fired after a Week 9 loss at the FIFA World Championship. Cincinnati Bengals.
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell also struggled to stay on the field, missing four games with a broken thumb on his right (passing) hand and another with a bruised left knee .
Injuries destroyed other parts of the team, with starters such as Crosby, Minshew, expensive free agent defensive tackles. Christian Wilkinscornerback Jakorian Bennettsecurity Marcus Eppsdefensive winger Malcolm Koonce and run back Zamir White finish the season on injured reserve.
But perhaps the fatal injury was Adams’ undoing, more mentally than physically, after he asked the team to trade him in the days following a Week 4 win over the team. Cleveland Browns.
As one team source said, a player coming in the morning after a heartwarming win to ask for a trade was “unheard of.” By the time the Raiders sent him to New York Jets for a third-round pick on October 15, Las Vegas hoped it would be addition by subtraction.
For what it’s worth, the Jets finished with one more win than the Raiders and Adams finished with 85 catches for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns while the Raiders wide receiver Jacob Meyers had 87 receptions for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns.
But ultimately, the smoky festive January 2024 Raiders locker room was replaced by uncertainty and banter on Sunday.
“Shout out to AP because he kept the guys motivated, even when you lose so many in a row,” Meyers said. “It’s difficult as a professional. It’s difficult as a competitor, in general. AP has done a great job of keeping us going and understanding what the goal is ultimately.
Beginner Brock Bowerswhose 112 catches were the third most in NFL history, echoed Meyers’ stance.
“I really liked AP as a coach,” said Pro Bowl selection Bowers. “I know the decisions are made and they belong to certain people and not us, so I have no control over that. But I really enjoyed playing for him and I thought he was a great coach.
The theme of motivation also floated in the Raiders’ beleaguered QB room.
“He did a great job,” O’Connell said of Pierce. “(He) tried to talk to the guys who wanted to keep fighting.
“The guys kept showing up to work and doing the right things and just trying to get by.”
In the end, motivation didn’t outweigh the lack of victories. Or a perceived lack of progress.
The X factor, of course, is Davis’ advisor and minority owner, Tom Brady, and the power he will have in decision-making.
“I think,” Pierce said after the loss to the Chargers, “everyone sees the dire need.”
Coach or QB? Take it however you want.