Raiders insider provides analysis explaining the firing of Antonio Pierce

When Antonio Pierce was fired from his position as Las Vegas Raiders head coach in January, it came as a surprise to many around the league.

Sure, Pierce could not capitalize on the momentum of his stint as interim head coach and only produced four wins, but most of the issues surrounding the Raiders were seen as not being entirely his fault. The team even had him hold a press conference days after the season ended, where Pierce suggested that he was not in any danger of losing his job. It turned out to be all for show, however, as Pierce was ultimately canned within 24 hours of that press conference, and general manager Tom Telesco followed him out the door shortly after.

While the Pete Carroll era is officially underway in Las Vegas, one insider seems to know what brought along the decision to move on from Pierce after just one season.

Pierce had some positives and negatives during his short tenure as Raiders head coach.

On the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast, Sports Illustrated’s Hondo Carpenter laid the groundwork for the idea that team discipline was lacking on the Raiders last season.

“There were discipline issues on [the 2024 team],” Carpenter said. “Where the team was not as disciplined in 2024 as they were in 2023. That is factual. And people in the program made that very clear to me.”

Perhaps the lack of details stemmed from Pierce’s lack of experience, which ultimately permeated throughout the roster and lead to some questionable coaching decisions.

Again, however, some aspects of the Raiders’ struggles were not entirely on Pierce, and it is clear that he did have the respect of the locker room. Comparatively speaking to the final season of Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas, the Raiders went from dead last in the head coach category of 2024’s NFLPA report card to 16th in the 2025 version. Carroll’s presence will likely further improve that aspect, but it is clear that Pierce did have some redeeming qualities as head coach.

Ultimately, it is likely that what did Pierce in was a lack of experience, and a return to the coaching ranks is possible with some more time.