Owner also says Tom Brady will have say in next quarterback
Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis, while at the NFL owners’ meeting in Dallas on Wednesday, addressed the team’s disappointing season with reporters at length for the first time in months and stated all decisions, on coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, will be made after the final four games of the season.
“I’m very disappointed, obviously,” Davis told reporters, via The Athletic. “I want to see progress … There’s no excuses … You have to go through the season and then we’ll re-evaluate. Right now, I’m not in that position of evaluating anything right forward.”
Owner Mark Davis on the #Raiders and HC Antonio Pierce: “I’m very disappointed, obviously. I want to see progress. … There’s no excuses. … You have to go through the season and then we’ll re-evaluate. Right now, I’m not in that position of evaluating anything going forward.”
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) December 11, 2024
Davis said both Pierce and Telesco will be evaluated separately. Asked why, Davis said “they didn’t come in as a team. They are individuals.” This lends to the possibility that there could be a change in one of the positions and not the other.
The plan during into the 2024 offseason was to hire a general manager and then a coach (to replace the fired Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler), which is the normal approach in the league. Yet, Pierce was promoted from the interim head coach to the full-time head coach before Telesco was hired.
Davis was complimentary of the job Telesco has done, pointing to the draft class and said he’s done a good job. On Pierce, Davis said it was a positive that the team is competitive and playing hard.
Yes, the team is playing hard. But they’re not really competitive. Their minus-125 point differential is the second worst in the league, they have trailed by double-digits in all 13 games and they have lost eight games by double digits in an NFL season that already has a record for one-score games.
Davis also said, contrary to speculation, there is no mandate to draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2025 draft, but he did acknowledge the team does need a long-term solution at the position.
Davis said Telesco’s opinion on the incoming rookie quarterbacks is important, he did say new minority owner Tom Brady “will something to say in that.” So, it’s clear Brady’s opinion on key decisions will count.
.@Raiders owner Mark Davis also said he wants Tom Brady to have a huge say in things, moving forward.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) December 11, 2024
What does Davis’ comments Wednesday mean?
To me, the focus is all on Pierce. The owner wants to see progress. This season has been a disappointment and there will be decisions to make in a month or so. I don’t think this necessarily points to Pierce being fired, but Davis’ comment indicates Pierce’s status for next season is to be determined, which is noteworthy.
