Black Monday is now less than a week away.
Once the Week 18 slate is over and over half of the league enters the offseason, coaches and general managers on the hot seat will await their ultimate fate. For some of them, their season finale will be their last game with their current organization.
Teams like the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears have gotten a head start in clearing up positions. Others have exercised patience throughout the season, but Monday will be when most teams make their final decisions.
The Las Vegas Raiders are one such team, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who offered notes on many teams facing difficult decisions on the fateful day.
“Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce’s status has been up in the air for over a month,” Breer said.
“The team has continued to play hard for him, the roster’s gotten younger, the young guys have developed and going to Scott Turner as OC has mostly worked. They won Sunday. That said, with the expectation that the football people will be under a mandate to find a long-term quarterback this offseason, change is absolutely in play, if not likely.”
While the past two weeks may have seen Pierce’s seat cool slightly after two straight victories, it is unclear if the damage has already been done.
If Pierce is out after one season, a name that has constantly been connected to the Raiders’ coaching role has been former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who recently finished a stint as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns. A major part of the connection has been due to the presence of Vrabel’s former teammate and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady.
“(Raiders principal owner) Mark Davis will listen to Brady’s counsel on where Pierce has taken the program and where things should go,” Breer added.
“There are plenty of well-connected folks who believe Vrabel would be the front-runner for that job. In fact, last year, when Brady showed up at the team’s final practice of the season, some internally took it as a sign that a run at Vrabel, who hadn’t yet been fired in Tennessee, could be on the way.”
While the Raiders are gearing up for a potential run at Vrabel if Pierce is fired, what is important to know is that he is one of the top candidates available. With Vrabel likely having his choice when it comes to which coaching vacancy to fill, the Raiders will need to come up with a solid pitch to convince him to come to Las Vegas.
The Raiders having Brady will help, but they are not the only team with personnel connections to Vrabel. The New York Giants, who were once a thorn in their side in the race for the first overall pick, also have an inside track to Vrabel due to who they have in their building.
“The Giants would be one to watch, too, if they make a change,” noted Breer. “A favored Vrabel GM candidate, Ryan Cowden, is on (Giants general manager Joe) Schoen’s staff, and his old DC/confidant, Shane Bowen, is already in place for a coach who could remind (Giants principal owner John) Mara a bit of Bill Parcells.”
The Raiders could put an end to this discussion if they keep Pierce through Black Monday and show their commitment to him. With so many variables, however, expect the rumors to continue swirling until the final verdict is reached.
