Newest AFC West head coach is division's worst after minicamp

3) Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders

Antonio Pierce took over for the former worst coach in the AFC West, Josh McDaniels, and has slid nicely into the vacancy in Las Vegas. Pierce was brought on as the Raiders' new full-time head coach after a 5-4 tenure in 2023, and a ringing endorsement from Maxx Crosby, who reportedly even dangled demanding a trade over the Raiders' front office if they did not hire Pierce as head coach.

Pierce is clearly a fan favorite within the Raider locker room and has had a strong start to his coaching career. A 5-4 record might not be pretty, but neither is the quarterbacking of Aidan O'Connell.

Pierce, however, will have to try and do something that has not been done in Las Vegas and had not been done in Oakland in a long time: build a sustainable winner for the Raiders. Pierce will start with a leg-up that the ones before him did not: the support of the locker room and a few wins in black and silver under his belt. Pierce's Raiders obliterated the Chargers and Easton Stick to the tune of 63-21 on a nationally televised game and put his name out there in the NFL universe.

Pierce is a strong coaching candidate and has all of the tools to become one of the NFL's best, brightest, and most popular among players. However, as of right now, it is just that: pieces that could become something. Until then, Pierce is the AFC West's third-best coach.