'He really let us be ourselves': Raiders WR opens up about HC Antonio Pierce

Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers signed a three-year, $33M contract last March to join the Las Vegas Raiders, but he suggested during a Monday appearance on "PFT Live" that he didn't feel quite at home until the club replaced head coach Josh McDaniels with Antonio Pierce. 

"It didn’t feel right," Meyers said about the situation, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "Once we got on the same page, it was night and day." 

Pierce went 5-4 as an interim coach and received public support to earn the full-time job from noteworthy starters such as pass-rusher Maxx Crosby and All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams. Crosby reportedly was willing to "explore a trade request" had Raiders owner Mark Davis hired an outsider instead of Pierce this winter. 

"It’s fun. He really let us be ourselves," Meyers said about Pierce. "Guys can go out there and enjoy the game a little more." 

It's unclear if Pierce will start Aidan O'Connell at quarterback this coming September or look for a supposed upgrade at the position during the offseason. In a mock draft posted on Monday, ESPN's Matt Miller predicted that the Raiders will use overall pick No. 13 to acquire Michigan Wolverines signal-caller J.J. McCarthy. Last week, Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports linked Las Vegas with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. of the Washington Huskies.

According to ESPN stats, O'Connell finished the regular season ranked 25th out of 30 eligible players with a 40.6 adjusted QBR. Across 11 games, the 2023 fourth-round draft choice tossed 12 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. 

O’Connell told "PFT Live" that he knew from the first time Pierce addressed the team as interim coach in early November that "this guy is a leader of men and could command a room." In Pierce's first game in charge on Nov. 5, the Raiders dominated the New York Giants en route to earning a 30-6 win. 

O’Connell now will try to win Pierce's approval ahead of the Raiders likely adding at least one new face to their quarterback room this offseason.