Raiders Rumors: Marvin Lewis Expected to Join Antonio Pierce's Coaching Staff

Removing "interim" from head coach Antonio Pierce's title isn't the only hiring decision the Las Vegas Raiders made Friday.

They also plan to hire former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Pierce brought Lewis in to help him when he replaced former head coach Josh McDaniels on Oct. 31.

It is not clear what role the 65-year-old will take, but he is "expected to be on staff in a more formal capacity," according to Pelissero.

Lewis served as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 2003 to 2018. He finished his Bengals career with a 131-122-3 regular-season record and seven AFC Wild Card Round losses.

More recently, Lewis worked as a special assistant at Arizona State.

He has 26 years of NFL experience, but he has not worked in the league since 2018. He began his pro coaching career as a linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992.

Pierce was a linebacker for Washington in 2002 when Lewis was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.

Lewis then spent three seasons at ASU working alongside Pierce, including serving as co-defensive coordinators in 2020. Together, they helped lead the 2020 Sun Devils defense to rank first in the Pac-12 in yards per completion allowed.

Alongside other former NFL coaches like Tom Coughlin and Adam Gase, Pierce brought Lewis to Vegas to help guide him in everything from "scheduling to scheme to technique to officiating" as he worked on his bid for the head coaching job, according to Pelissero.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer called the hiring of Lewis "pivotal" to Pierce taking the role, as his experience could help the first-time head coach "cover his blind spots."

The Bengals fired Lewis in 2018 following the team's third consecutive losing season. He had served in the role for 16 years, the longest in franchise history.

Those three seasons, during which Cincinnati went a combined 19-28, followed a more successful five-year span that included two AFC North titles and five straight playoff appearances, although it never made it past the Wild Card Round.

Since then, Lewis has reportedly received interest from teams including the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and a USFL franchise. Instead he will join the Raiders, and he is likely to face the Bengals in 2024.