Following Josh McDaniels termination, Pierce took over in Las Vegas, leading the Raiders to a 5-4 record after a 3-5 start. The club clearly loved playing for the 45-year-old compared to his predecessor. The Raiders had an unlikely win over the Chiefs as well as a complete beatdown of the Chargers, 63-21, and a season finale victory over the Broncos.

Whoever you ask, players love Pierce, which would seemingly carry over for the Falcons and the results speak for themselves.

“It’s legendary,” Maxx Crosby told reporters. “When you have the right culture, a guy like A.P. that embraces the history of the Raiders, it’s special. … A ton of legends [visit] consistently because the amount of respect they have for him. So it makes you, as a player, want to go out there and show who you are. You know what I mean? You want to be at that level one day.”

There’s no player on the Raiders more respected than Crosby, so when he throws his support behind a candidate, that means something. The only other Raider who could move mountains like Crosby is Davante Adams, but he gave a similar endorsement for Pierce to have the interim tag removed.

“It’s obviously who I wanted, and he’s my vote,” Adams told reporters. “I’ve been vocal about that, and that’s basically how the whole locker room feels, and with good reason. He’s come in and done a great job.”

The Falcons have thrown a ton of lines out in the hiring pool, and Pierce is one that should absolutely be considered a serious candidate. He connects with players, turned an anemic Las Vegas offense around, and is a great leader of men. The Falcons could do much worse than Antonio Pierce.

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