Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has confirmed that he would request a trade if the Raiders don’t hire Antonio Pierce.
LAS VEGAS, NV– The Raiders are stuck between a rock and a hard place. And they need to find an answer fast. Vegas star defensive end Maxx Crosby has stated on his podcast that he would explore potential trade options if interim head coach Antonio Pierce is not retained. Las Vegas doesn’t seem apt to do so however despite Pierce being a locker room favorite.
The Raiders aren’t new to this situation, back in 2021, head coach Jon Gruden was fired, leaving Rich Bisaccia as the interim head coach. However, despite pleas from Raiders players to keep Bisaccia as the full-time head coach, the organization instead hired Josh McDaniels, whose tenure ended in the middle of this season leaving Antonio Pierce to helm the ship.
“I want to be a Raider … but if we go in a different direction, there is nothing that is off the table,” Crosby said, via The Athletic.
The Raiders have posted a much better record under Pierce than McDaniels, going 5-4 compared to McDaniels’ 3-5. In the span of nine games, Pierce has already cemented his impact and proved his culture to the Raiders organization. Pierce destroyed the Chargers in a primetime beatdown winning 63-21 and defeating a divisional foe in Kansas City against the Chiefs.
LATEST NEWS: Russell Wilson’s Benching is the End of an Up and Down Season in Denver, is the Encapsulation of a Failed Year
“It’s legendary,” Crosby said after the Week 18 victory over the Denver Broncos, per ESPN. “When you have the right culture, a guy like A.P. that embraces the history of the Raiders, it’s special. … A ton of legends [visit] consistently because the amount of respect they have for him. So it makes you, as a player, want to go out there and show who you are. You know what I mean? You want to be at that level one day.”
The team has been reluctant to hire Pierce back and is supposedly looking in other directions. Sources have claimed that the Raiders are locked in on Jim Harbaugh after he won the national championship and have set up a date to interview him.
