NFL Rumors: Antonio Pierce Is Favorite to Become Raiders HC amid Jim Harbaugh Buzz

Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams may get their wish for the Las Vegas Raiders next head coach.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Antonio Pierce has emerged as the top candidate for the Raiders and one person said they "would be blown away" if he doesn't get the job.

Schefter noted Raiders owner Mark Davis is still weighing other candidates.

One of those candidates could be Jim Harbaugh, who NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported the Raiders are still considering a potential pursuit of the Michigan head coach:

"Inside the Raiders' extended family—including fans and ex-players—sources say there have emerged a Harbaugh camp and a Pierce camp, with the locker room publicly united behind its interim coach. Crosby, one of the respected leaders and sounding boards for Mark Davis, has been through rebuilds in the past, doesn't want to go through another one again and believes Pierce has earned the right to continue building upon the culture and energy he built in Las Vegas this season."

Pierce certainly made a strong case for himself to get the permanent job based on how the team performed when he replaced Josh McDaniels. The Raiders went 5-4 over the final nine games of the season.

Everyone in the locker room seemed very encouraged by Pierce's ability to lead them. Adams told reporters leading up to Week 18 that "basically the whole locker room" would vote for Pierce:

"He's come in and done a great job. He's continued to win us over. It's not just the comfortable thing. I think having AP here will be good for this organization. He kind of embodies what it means to be a Raider. That mentality, that swag and all the things he endorses is the things that I believe in. It's easy for a guy like me, especially having dealt with him a little bit this year now and gotten to know him and see his evolution in front of the team. All those things, all those different fields of being a head coach. Definitely rooting for him."

Crosby has been even more vocal about wanting Pierce to get the job.

"There's only 32 [NFL] head coaches in the whole world," Crosby told reporters on Jan. 4, "so you've got to find a leader of men. And when you've got one of them in the building currently, I don't know why you would let them go."

Crosby also called it "bulls--t" he's only made the postseason once in five seasons with the Raiders and wants stability and "f--king consistency" because he's "sick of change."

After NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported on Friday that Pierce was going to interview with the Tennessee Titans, Crosby posted a simple message on social media for everyone to see.

Crosby's desire for stability is understandable. He's played for four different head coaches and three general managers, including interims, since being drafted in 2019.

Pierce just finished his second season as an NFL coach. He originally joined the Raiders staff in February 2022 when McDaniels hired him as linebackers coach.

Prior to working with the Raiders, Pierce spent four seasons on Herm Edwards' staff at Arizona State. His only previous experience as a head coach was at Long Beach Poly High School from 2014 to '17.