The big names in Las Vegas continue to stump for Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce to keep the full-time gig following Sunday's finale against Denver.
Star edge rusher Maxx Crosby said Pierce has his support "100%."
"There's only 32 [NFL] head coaches in the whole world," Crosby said Thursday, via ESPN. "So you've got to find a leader of men. And when you've got one of them in the building currently, I don't know why you would let them go."
Crosby's comments came a day after Davante Adams said Pierce has his "vote" to be coach in 2024, adding that "basically" the entire locker room feels similarly.
It's worth noting that Crosby also supported the Raiders retaining then-interim Rich Bisaccia two years ago -- before owner Mark Davis elected to bring in Josh McDaniels.
Will the owner hear the call from his star players this time around?
The Raiders have been much more competitive since Pierce took over. Heading into Week 18, Vegas leads the NFL in scoring defense since Pierce became the interim.
- Weeks 1-8: 23.4 PPG (T-22nd), 1.0 takeaway/game (T-24th), 2.0 sacks/game (T-25th)
- Weeks 9-17: 16.3 PPG (1st), 1.6 takeaways/game (T-9th), 3.1 sacks/game (T-7th)
It's easy to see that Vegas has competed better under Pierce and has signature wins over division rivals Kansas City and Los Angeles. But Pierce remains 4-4 going into the finale. The question is whether Davis believes Pierce can continue to build on this run heading into the 2024 campaign.
For Crosby, wins and a winning culture are all that matter.
"I've made the playoffs one time in five years. It's bulls---," Crosby said. "And we've got to figure out what we're going to do moving forward. And I'm sick of change. I'm sick of losing. I just want stability and (expletive) consistency, and that's all that matters to me. I want to win."
