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Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff Writer
HENDERSON, Nev. — What a difference a year makes.
Cigar smoke and good vibes permeated the Las Vegas Raiders‘ locker room at Allegiant Stadium as legends such as Jim Plunkett, Charles Woodson, Ted Hendricks and Jim Otto joined the team following its win over the Denver Broncos in the 2023 season finale.
Finishing with a 3-1 flourish — including 3-0 against AFC West opponents in that stretch — to go 8-9 overall surely meant better times were ahead. Then-interim coach Antonio Pierce, who had tapped into the franchise’s DNA as a guy who grew up a fan of the Silver and Black in Los Angeles, had won over a large portion of the fan base with his gritty style, meaning continuity was key.
But the 2024 campaign ended in much less celebratory fashion, when Pierce was fired Tuesday after finishing 4-13 and last in the division. The Raiders are left looking for their fifth coach since 2021.
Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the playoff-bound Los Angeles Chargers wrapped a bittersweet campaign that included a 10-game losing streak and their first winless season against the AFC West since 2006. Victorious cigar parties were replaced by head scratches and shoulder shrugs.
Pierce was elevated to full-time coach in 2024 after impressing Davis enough at the end of his interim stretch and garnering support from star players like perennial Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby and All-Pro receiver Davante Adams. Both campaigned enough for Pierce (Crosby even pseudo-threatened requesting a trade if Pierce was not hired), that Davis did what he had not three years prior — stick with the popular interim coach.
In 2021, after Rich Bisaccia led the Raiders to their second playoff appearance since 2002, and amid clamoring from players to retain him, Davis went the opposite route, instead hiring Josh McDaniels, who lasted 25 games.
So, why didn’t Pierce last?
The NFL is a production business and, in Davis’ estimation, the Raiders under Pierce simply did not produce enough wins.
Going winless in the division for the first time since before drafting JaMarcus Russell is one thing. Winning four games, their fewest since 2018, is another.
Questionable game management decisions — when to punt, when to go for it, when to take a timeout — were also a major issue all season long, despite the presence of veteran former coaches Marvin Lewis, Joe Philbin and, later, Norv Turner on the staff.
Plus, the Raiders trailed by double digits in 15 of 17 games and three of their four wins were against teams that went a combined 12-37. Pierce, who promised a punishing running game, saw the Raiders finish last in rushing. One bright spot was the defense, which entered Week 18 as a top-10 total defense.
In an alternate universe, the Raiders were able to finagle a trade to draft quarterback Jayden Daniels and hold onto offensive playcaller Kliff Kingsbury, rather than sign veteran QB Gardner Minshew and hire former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Luke Getsy for the same role.
In the real world, Minshew battled injuries and ineffectiveness before being lost for the year with a broken collarbone on Nov. 24 and Getsy was fired after a Week 9 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals.
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell had as much trouble staying on the field — he missed four games with a broken thumb on his right (passing) hand and another with a bruised left knee — as he did extending plays with his legs.
Injuries wrecked other parts of the roster, with starters like Crosby, Minshew, high-priced free-agent defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, cornerback Jakorian Bennett, safety Marcus Epps, defensive end Malcolm Koonce and running back Zamir White ending the season on injured reserve.
But perhaps the mortal wound was losing Adams, more so mentally than physically, after he asked the team to trade him in the days following a Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns.
As one team source said, a player coming in the morning after a feel-good win to request a trade was “unheard of.” By the time the Raiders sent him to the New York Jets for a third-round draft pick on Oct. 15, Las Vegas hoped it would be addition by subtraction.
For what it’s worth, the Jets finished with one more win than the Raiders and Adams finished with 85 catches for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns while Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers had 87 receptions for 1,027 yards and four TDs.
But ultimately, the Raiders’ celebratory smoke-filled locker room of January 2024 was replaced by uncertainty and pleasantries on Sunday.
“Shout out to AP because he kept the guys motivated, even when you’re losing so many in a row,” Meyers said. “That’s hard as a professional. That’s hard as a competitor, in general. AP just did a great job in keeping us going and understanding what the goal is at the end of the day.”
Rookie Brock Bowers, whose 112 catches were the third-most by a tight end in NFL history, echoed Meyers’ stance.
“I really liked AP as a coach,” said Bowers, who was selected for the Pro Bowl. “I know decisions are made and it’s up to certain people and not us, so I don’t have any control over that. But I really liked playing for him and I thought he was a great coach.”
The theme of motivation also wafted over the Raiders’ beleaguered QB room.
“He did a great job of that,” O’Connell said of Pierce. “[He] tried to speak to the guys that wanted to continue to fight.
“Guys continued to show up to work and do the right things and just tried to chip away.”
In the end, motivation did not trump lack of wins. Or a lack of perceived progress.
The X-factor, of course, is Davis’ consigliere and minority owner Tom Brady, and how much juice he’ll have in decision-making.
“I think,” Pierce said after the loss to the Chargers, “everybody sees the glaring need.”
Coach or QB? Take it how you will.