Raiders Rumors: Antonio Pierce to Interview with Titans After Mike Vrabel's Firing

Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce is reportedly set to interview for the Tennessee Titans vacant head coaching position over the weekend.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Pierce is "firmly in the mix" to be named the Raiders' full-time head coach, but he is "exploring all options."

Pierce took over as the Raiders' interim head coach in November after the firing of Josh McDaniels and performed admirably, leading Vegas to a 5-4 record over the season's final two months.

Although there is plenty of external support for Pierce to be the Raiders' head coach, and many of his players have publicly supported the idea, it doesn't appear to be a lock.

Recent history suggests the Raiders may be reluctant to promote an interim head coach into a full-time role, as they declined to do so with Rich Bisaccia after the 2021 season.

Following Jon Gruden's firing, Bisaccia took over as interim head coach, leading the Raiders to a 7-5 record and their first playoff berth since 2016.

Despite that, owner Mark Davis hired Josh McDaniels as the Raiders' new head coach, and Bisaccia moved on to become the Green Bay Packers' special teams coordinator and later their assistant head coach.

If the Raiders stray from Pierce, Tennessee could prove to be a solid landing spot for him, especially since the Titans just had a longtime NFL linebacker installed as their head coach.

Mike Vrabel spent six seasons as the Titans' head coach, going 54-45 with three playoff appearances and one trip to the AFC Championship Game.

While Vrabel took the Titans far, and oftentimes did so with average or worse play from the quarterback position, the last two seasons were a struggle, as they went 7-10 in 2022 and 6-11 in 2023, missing the playoffs each time.

That led to the decision to fire Vrabel, thus making him one of the most desirable head coaching candidates available.

Like Vrabel, Pierce spent several seasons in the NFL as a linebacker, playing nine years for Washington and the New York Giants, while earning one Pro Bowl selection and winning a Super Bowl.

The 45-year-old Pierce has been in coaching since 2014, but he has never been a coordinator at the NFL level, although he did serve as the co-defensive coordinator and then the solo DC at Arizona State.

Despite his lack of experience in high-level positions, Pierce acclimated well to the head coaching role with the Raiders, and he seems ready to take a head coaching job on a full-time basis.

If the Raiders like Pierce in that spot and have interest in promoting him, the fact that Pierce is interviewing elsewhere could potentially give them a sense of urgency to get something done with him so they don't lose him to Tennessee or another team.