The Las Vegas Raiders have officially parted ways with head coach Antonio Pierce after a rough 4-13 season. It seems that Pierce lost touch with the locker room, with players like Maxx Crosby beginning to voice their discontent. As the Raiders look for a quick turnaround, one name that stands out—besides Deion Sanders—is Bruce Arians.
With Pierce’s departure, it’s been reported that Tom Brady, a minority owner in the team, will play a significant role in selecting the new head coach. Arians, currently retired, shares a strong connection with Brady, who might be the only person capable of luring him back to the sideline.
Brady and Arians shared two memorable seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and 2021. The pinnacle of this partnership came with a Super Bowl victory in 2021, after which Arians retired, passing the baton to Todd Bowles. Despite his current retirement, Arians has expressed his internal struggle with leaving coaching behind. In a candid chat, Arians admitted, “Would I love to be coaching? Yeah. It’s what you do. It kills me to go upstairs… I’m smart enough to know it’s over.”
The allure of working alongside Brady in Las Vegas might just be enough to reignite Arians’ coaching flame. Brady, having flourished under Arians in Tampa, is well aware of the unique coaching prowess Arians would bring to the Raiders.
Arians is undoubtedly a coach capable of transforming Las Vegas back into a competitive force. His charismatic style and leadership make him a coach players want to win for, but he also has the backbone to hold them accountable. This blend of personality and discipline has consistently fostered winning cultures in his previous stops with the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where his offenses have been nothing short of innovative.
During his last tenure with the Buccaneers, Arians’ team led the NFL in several key offensive categories: points per game (29.8), passing yards (300.0 per game), passing touchdowns (118), completions (1,284), and passing first downs (755). They ranked third in total yards (396.2 per game), fourth in first downs (22.9 per game), and seventh in sacks allowed (92).
Arians is known for crafting well-rounded rosters that excel on both sides of the ball. With the Raiders currently missing a franchise quarterback and aiming to draft a young talent for the position, Arians appears to be the ideal candidate to mold a new QB while maximizing the existing roster’s potential.
