Antonio Pierce quickly went from a lesser-known assistant to a cult legend for the Las Vegas Raiders. After taking over the team, Pierce's team looked infinitely better than the one led by Josh McDaniels. Fans definitely wanted Pierce to stay for at least a year, but they were wary considering Las Vegas' history.

Well, it turns out that the Raiders may have learned from their mistake. Pierce is apparently the frontrunner to land the Las Vegas gig, per Adam Schefter. Why? Well, because he's got the backing of his players.

“Interim coach Antonio Pierce has emerged as the leading candidate to become the full-time head coach in Las Vegas, with the support of key players there, per league sources. There will be other options for Raiders’ owner Mark Davis to consider, but as one source said, “I would be blown away if Antonio weren’t the pick.””

Pierce took over the Raiders' coaching job after McDaniels was fired. It was a dysfunctional team, but Pierce was somehow able to coax wins out of them. One of those games was a 63-21 blowout of the Chargers, which was a sight to behold.

The Raiders were once in this position, with ex-special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia leading Las Vegas to the playoffs after Jon Gruden was fired. However, management at the time decided to go with Josh McDaniels instead of Bisaccia. The results of that decision speak for themselves in the worst way possible: McDaniels ended his tenure with a losing record.

Given the many intriguing names in the market (Mike Vrabel and Bill Belichick come to mind), the Raiders would be wise to look at other options. However, going with Pierce is an appealing option, especially to the locker room. Pierce endeared himself to the players in his short time there.