The Las Vegas Raiders fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday after just one season as their full-time coach, marking yet another coaching change in recent years.

"The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Antonio Pierce of his duties as head coach," the team said in a statement.

“We appreciate Antonio’s leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach.

“Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his silver-and-black roots run deep. We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organisation. We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family in the future.”

Pierce, whose father is Bermudian, took over as interim coach midway through the 2023 season, going 5-4 and earning strong player support for the full-time role.

However, after a 2-2 start this season, the Raiders endured a ten-game losing streak, placing his job in jeopardy.

The team, which dealt with injuries to defensive linemen Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, as well as the Davante Adams trade saga, finished 4-13.

Pierce, who spent nine seasons in the NFL as a linebacker with Washington (2001-04) and the New York Giants (2005-09), was the fourth full-time Raiders coach in the past decade — Rich Bisaccia closed out the 2021 season as interim coach.

Pierce likely will try to remain in the NFL, possibly as a position coach. He had never been a co-ordinator at this level before getting the Raiders job.

He likely won't return to college because of an eight-year show-cause penalty handed down in October by the NCAA for violations Pierce committed when he was on Arizona State's staff from 2018 to 2021.

Pierce talked Monday about what he hoped was his future with the Raiders, saying any talk about his job status was “not inside the building.” He did acknowledge a sit-down was coming with Davis and Telesco.

A coach speaking with reporters and then getting fired isn't typical, but it's not completely unheard of, either. Matt Eberflus met with the media earlier this season hours before the Chicago Bears fired him.

Despite the challenges during a turbulent campaign, Pierce remained optimistic about his chances after ending the season with two wins from the final three games.

“I’m really proud of how we finished the season,” Pierce said on Monday. “It is challenging to go in front of the team after ten straight losses and motivate them. In the last few weeks, you saw improvements in technique and fundamentals.

“What I need to do a better job with is going with my gut. I was better at that last year. This year I didn’t do what I wanted to do as much as I wanted to do it. Lessons learnt.”

As for the Raiders’ next move, Mike Vrabel has been rumoured as a candidate. Vrabel, who was team-mates with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady at the Patriots, is likely to attract interest from other teams, including potentially the Patriots.

Beyond coaching, Las Vegas needs a franchise quarterback. Aidan O’Connell has shown potential as a starter but has yet to prove he can lead a team deep into the play-offs.

Simply making the postseason would be a significant step forward for the new coach, as the Raiders’ last play-off appearance was three years ago, with only one prior since their Super Bowl loss in 2002.

General manager Tom Telesco will need to address several gaps in the roster, particularly at running back, wide receiver, and on defence, to give the next coach a fair chance to compete.