Raiders fire Pierce; Telesco stays GM, per source

HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders have fired Antonio Pierce after his first full season as head coach, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

The Raiders are retaining general manager Tom Telesco, who was hired for the role last season, a source told Schefter.

Pierce, who was hired last season as the team’s coach after serving as the interim coach in 2023, led the Raiders to a 4-13 record this season.

He had said at his media availability Monday that he was operating as if he would remain as the team’s coach but acknowledged he had not yet met with team owner Mark Davis.

The Raiders lost 34-20 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday to finish a season that included a 10-game losing streak, the team’s longest since 2014 when they opened 0-10. The Raiders will now look to hire their fifth head coach since relocating to Las Vegas from Oakland in 2020 and their ninth since Davis took over as owner upon his father Al Davis’ passing in 2011.

Las Vegas finished last in its division and clinched the No. 6 overall draft pick on Sunday. The remaining AFC West teams — the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Chargers — each advanced to the playoffs.

Pierce, 46, was initially promoted from linebackers coach to interim head coach when Davis fired Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler after less than two full seasons on Halloween night in 2023.

The Raiders went 5-4 under Pierce to finish out 2023, including 4-2 in the AFC West, with a 63-21 blowout of the Chargers to finish 8-9 overall.

After an offseason during which the Raiders were either unable or unwilling to trade up for a quarterback in the draft — Pierce had his eyes on Jayden Daniels, but he was gone at No. 2 and six QBs were drafted before the Raiders’ selection at No. 13 — Las Vegas settled on free agent veteran Gardner Minshew, giving him a two-year, $25 million contract with $15 million guaranteed.

The Raiders also had an agreement with former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury to come aboard as offensive coordinator, before he pulled out and went to the Washington Commanders, who drafted Daniels.

Pierce settled on former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and Minshew won a tight training camp battle with second-year returner Aidan O’Connell.

But the Raiders’ offense, under Getsy and Minshew, did not get off to the fast start Pierce envisioned and Minshew was benched in favor of O’Connell after five games. Getsy was fired after nine games and replaced by passing game coordinator Scott Turner and O’Connell and Minshew both continued dealing with injuries the rest of the season.

Before being promoted, Pierce, a nine-year veteran who was named to a Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl as a linebacker with the New York Giants, had never been a head coach above the high school level and was never a coordinator in the NFL.