If the Las Vegas Raiders aren’t careful, they could risk losing their players’ preferred choice for the team’s new head coach.

As reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo on Friday morning, the Tennessee Titans are planning to conduct an interview with Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce later this week.

Pierce assumed the role of Raiders’ head coach earlier in the season after the mid-season dismissal of Josh McDaniels. Under Pierce’s leadership, Las Vegas experienced a remarkable transformation, finishing the second half of the season with a 5-4 record and a significant improvement in their defensive performance.

While under McDaniels, the Raiders allowed an average of 23.5 points per game, under Pierce’s guidance, they reduced that figure to just 16 points per game. It’s worth noting that the second-half schedule was demanding, featuring matchups against formidable offenses such as Kansas City (twice), Miami, and Indianapolis.

To put it into perspective, the 23.5 points per game allowed under McDaniels would have ranked 25th in the NFL for the entire season, whereas the 16 points per game allowed under Pierce would have ranked them first in the league.

Several Raiders players, including wide receiver DaVante Adams, have publicly voiced their support for hiring Antonio Pierce as the head coach.

The fact that this appointment hasn’t materialized yet, and that Pierce is now exploring opportunities outside of Las Vegas, should raise concerns among Raiders players and fans. This situation is particularly worrisome given recent questionable decisions made by owner Mark Davis.

In 2021, he had Rich Bisaccia as the interim coach, who led the Raiders to a 7-5 record and a playoff berth after taking over for Jon Gruden. Instead of considering Bisaccia for the full-time coaching role, he infamously chose to hire Josh McDaniels.

The vacancy for the Titans’ head coaching position arises following the team’s decision to part ways with Mike Vrabel earlier this week.

Securing a top-notch head coach is a challenging task, and the Raiders may have stumbled upon a gem in Antonio Pierce, judging by his performance towards the end of the season. The key now is to avoid repeating the same mistake they made two years ago and failing to acknowledge it.

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