Tom Brady is reportedly set to play a key role in the next appointment as the Las Vegas Raiders are on the hunt for a head coach once again.
Antonio Pierce became the latest victim in the NFL’s firing blitz after the Raiders opted to pull the trigger.
GettyBrady is set to have a big say in the future of the Las Vegas Raiders[/caption]
Pierce was fired after overseeing a 4-13 season as the Raiders finished bottom of the AFC West.
“We appreciate Antonio’s leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach,” a Raiders statement read.
“Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his Silver and Black roots run deep. We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization.
“We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family in the future.”
Pierce was promoted to interim head coach in October 2023 after Josh McDaniel was fired and led the team to a 5-4 record from his nine games in charge to earn the permanent head coaching role.
However, his first and only full season in charge did not go to plan.
The Raiders went 2-2 in their opening four games of the 2024 season but went on to lose their next 10 games, with the grim losing streak broken by a 19-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 22.
Pierce also led the Raiders to an alarming 18-year first, as the Raiders went winless against AFC West opponents for the first time since 2006.
The 46-year-old becomes the third NFL head coach to have been fired after the final regular season game, as Doug Pederson and Jerod Mayo were let go by the Jaguars and the New England Patriots respectively.
With Pierce gone, the Raiders are now on the hunt for its tenth head coach, including interims, in 16 seasons.
The next man in charge will be tasked with eventually returning Las Vegas to the postseason, something they have achieved just twice since the end of the 2002 campaign.
Whoever that will be is going to have to impress NFL legend Brady.
According to ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter, the seven-time Super Bowl winner will form part of ‘a collaborative committee to interview head coaching candidates’.
Brady became a part owner of the Raiders after he purchased a minority stake in the franchise last October.
His ownership bid began in May 2023 but was delayed due to the valuation of his purchase price.
The 47-year-old has been a busy man following the end of his glittering 23-season career as a quarterback for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
GettyBrady will be keen to appoint someone that can end the Raiders’ long wait for a postseason win[/caption]
Along with his role as a part owner of the Raiders, Brady took up a highly lucrative commentary role with Fox Sports.
Brady’s commentating gig is reportedly worth an eye-watering $375million (£300.5m) over ten years.
Despite his ownership stake, Brady is permitted to call Las Vegas games.
However, he is unable to attend in-person or virtual TV production meetings.