HENDERSON, Nevada — Antonio Pierce has been named the full-time head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Pierce, who has Bermudian parentage, was appointed as interim head coach of the Raiders in the wake of the firing of Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler shortly after the NFL trade deadline at the end of October.

Raiders owner Mark Davis could have waited to see if he could lure someone from an unusually deep roster of coaches on the open market, but decided that Pierce had done enough since becoming the interim coach on Hallowe'en night to get the job full time.

The Raiders announced on Friday the hiring of Pierce as their new coach, crossing out the word “interim” in a post on X, the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter. He is the fourth interim coach the Raiders have elevated, joining Art Shell, Tom Cable and Marty Feldman.

Pierce, 45, went 5-4 since taking over with the team’s record 8-9 overall.

“Can’t think of anyone more deserving,” Las Vegas tackle Jermaine Eluemunor posted on X. “The Raider way is the only way that needs to be in Vegas.”

Davis hired from outside two years ago in going with McDaniels over player favourite Rich Bisaccia, who led the Raiders on an unlikely late run to make the play-offs.

Like with Bisaccia, Pierce had his players' backing early, but whether that convinced Davis to hire him was the question. So the players kept up the pressure, including star defensive end Maxx Crosby. On his podcast, The Rush with Maxx Crosby, he said this week that “nothing is off the table” on his end if Pierce was not hired.

“AP doesn't have a bunch of experience as a head coach, but the reality is he's come in and helped change the culture," Crosby said on his podcast.

“He's helped us win games, and he's helped our defence take off to a different level and our team in general. We're a few pieces away from being in contention. We all feel that. We feel like we should be playing this weekend in the play-offs.”

Pierce also won over much of the fanbase. The crowd chanted “AP” as the clock wound down in the season-ending 27-14 victory over the Denver Broncos.

Pierce will be charged with restoring a once-iconic franchise that has three Vince Lombardi trophies but has missed the play-offs in 19 of the past 21 seasons.

NFL hiring rules prohibited Davis from hiring Pierce before going through a league-mandated process. He had to interview at least two external minority and/or female candidates in person to satisfy the Rooney Rule. He did that.

The Raiders interviewed former Buffalo defensive co-ordinator Leslie Frazier. ESPN reported the club also interviewed former New Orleans Saints co-defensive co-ordinator Kris Richard.

Pierce is the second Black coach to receive a head job during this hiring cycle. The New England Patriots promoted Jerod Mayo to replace Belichick.

The Raiders are the only NFL team with a Black coach, general manager and president. The GM, however, is an interim in Champ Kelly, although he also could get the job full time. Kelly has long been considered a strong candidate to get the position, but him not being announced along with Pierce’s hire raises questions.

Davis told The Athletic he has thought about hiring a director of football operations, so it’s possible he is reorganising the front office and that could still include Kelly.

Pierce will have to make decisions regarding his staff, and it's most likely he will take a close look at his offence. Bo Hardegree became the interim offensive co-ordinator when Mick Lombardi was fired mid-season, but Pierce may go outside the organisation.

Beyond that, Pierce will have to work with whoever becomes the general manager on personnel issues, including what to do at quarterback. Pierce installed rookie Aidan O’Connell as the starter. He improved as the season progressed, but did not erase concerns about the need for a franchise quarterback. The Raiders pick thirteenth in this year’s draft, so the top QBs likely will be gone by the time they select.

The future of running back Josh Jacobs also will need to be resolved. After leading the NFL in rushing in 2022, Jacobs got into a contract dispute when the Raiders placed the franchise tag on him. The sides agreed to a one-year deal after training camp. Jacobs’s production dropped from 1,653 yards to 805 this season and he missed the final month because of a quadriceps injury.