Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Maxx Crosby is apparently giving the team an ultimatum when it comes to their decision on interim head coach Antonio Pierce.
According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL media, Crosby will explore a trade request if the Raiders do not retain Pierce.
Las Vegas is apparently planning a pursuit of Jim Harbaugh, who just won a national championship as head coach at the University of Michigan. But evidently, Raiders players would prefer the team remove the interim tag from Pierce and install him as head coach full time.
There are also plenty of big-name coaches who just lost their jobs, with Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll headlining the list. Las Vegas could ultimately express interest in them, as well.
Meanwhile, Pierce is scheduled to interview for the Tennessee Titans’ head-coaching job. After the news broke, Crosby posted #HireAP on his X account.
Crosby has been through rebuilds before and would not want to deal with another one, Rapoport and Pelissero report. Crosby also believes that Pierce has been building something and has earned the right to continue what he started in 2024.
Pierce took over as coach of the Raiders after the club fired Josh McDaniels from his post in late October. Las Vegas proceeded to go 5-4 under Pierce, including a 63-21 drubbing of the Los Angeles Chargers and a Christmas Day win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Not only that, but the Raiders were No. 1 in scoring defense after Pierce took the reins.
Regardless of whether or not owner Mark Davis wants to bring Pierce back, he still has to go through the interview process so he does not violate NFL rules.
But it seems pretty clear that Las Vegas’ locker room has thrown its support behind Antonio Pierce, and if the Raiders opt to go in a different direction, they may end up losing one of their best players in Maxx Crosby as a result.
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