Latest news with #AntonioPierce
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Ex-Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce Resurfaces With Surprising New Job
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former Pro Bowl linebacker Antonio Pierce had a pretty forgettable run as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Pierce, who took over as interim coach in 2023 after Josh McDaniels was fired following a 3-5 start, went 5-4 and guided Vegas to a second-place finish in the AFC West. He had a groundswell of support from several Raiders players including former wide receiver Davante Adams and star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby, who wanted owner Mark Davis to offer Pierce the job on a full-time basis. Davis listened to his players and removed the interim tag from Pierce's title in January of 2024. "I went through a nine-week interview process for the head coaching job of the Raiders, and it was unanimous from the players, fans, alumni and staff that Antonio Pierce was the right man moving forward. He earned that," Davis told The Athletic in reference to his time as interim coach. "... What surprised me was how successful he was at winning over the team as quickly as he did. Winning over the fan base as quickly as he did. Winning over the alumni as quickly as he did. And winning over the building as quickly as he did." Head coach Antonio Pierce of the Las Vegas Raiders reacts while officials discuss a call in the first quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium on January 05, 2025 in... Head coach Antonio Pierce of the Las Vegas Raiders reacts while officials discuss a call in the first quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium on January 05, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. MoreMore NFL: Tua Tagovailoa Sends Warning Shot to Tyreek Hill After Talk of Leaving Dolphins But the excitement of the Raiders thinking outside the box in hiring Pierce, an unconventional choice to lead an NFL team with just one-and-a-half season of NFL coaching experience under his belt, wore off quickly. With the Raiders finishing with a 4-13 record, Pierce was fired after the season and replaced by Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll — a hand-picked replacement by minority owner Tom Brady. And while Pierce hasn't received any NFL interest in the months since, he has landed a new gig in an NFL-adjacent profession. Athletes in Action, a consulting firm that works with amateur and professional athletes, announced on its Instagram page that it had hired Pierce to serve as its new chief strategy advisor. More NFL: Chiefs' Andy Reid Drops Major Hint About Travis Kelce's NFL Retirement Pierce will still have some NFL ties through his new job as Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is a brand ambassador for AIC. It's unlikely Pierce will land another head-coaching job in the NFL anytime soon given the way his Raiders tenure went. Vegas started off 2-11 last season and Adams, the team's star WR at that point, made it known he wanted out, essentially forcing a trade to the New York Jets so he could play with former teammate Aaron Rodgers. Pierce does have experience as a linebackers coach in the NFL, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him land a defensive assistant coaching job at some point.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New Raiders coach Pete Carroll confident they are 'gonna win a bunch' this season after recent struggles
Pete Carroll isn't holding back on how great he thinks the Raiders are going to be this fall. The longtime coach is now leading the way in Las Vegas, and he's extremely confident that he'll turn the franchise around, and quickly. 'We gotta win a ton. We've gotta win a bunch of games … I've been winning 10 games a year for 20 years or something now,' Carroll said on Tuesday. 'What are my expectations? We're gonna win bunch, and I don't care who hears that. It doesn't matter to me.' Now, it's easy to want to ignore a coach speaking this way at the start of training camp. Honestly, it'd be way more surprising if a coach wasn't exuding confidence at this point of the season. Advertisement [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] But Carroll is taking over a franchise that has been in, well, turmoil for years now. After 14 seasons and a Super Bowl win with the Seattle Seahawks, Carroll split with the franchise after the 2023 campaign. He was then hired to replace Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas in January, which makes him the team's fifth head coach over the last five seasons. They also parted with general manager Tom Telesco after just one season, too. The Raiders went just 4-13 last season and finished last in their division. They've made the playoffs just once over the last eight years, and they haven't won a postseason game since their run to the Super Bowl during the 2002 campaign. So the Raiders opted to bring in Carroll to try and right the ship. Based on his track record — he had a stretch where the Seahawks won double-digit games eight times over nine seasons, and he missed the playoffs just four times in Seattle — it's a decent strategy. Carroll brought in Chip Kelly to be his offensive coordinator, too. The pair will start to build an offense around quarterback Geno Smith and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, among others. The Raiders struck deals with veteran safety Jamal Adams and cornerback J.T. Woods on Tuesday afternoon, too, which should only bolster their defense. Advertisement The Raiders have plenty of work to do to legitimately turn things around. But, at least at the start of camp, there's reason to believe they are on the right path. And Carroll has no doubt that he'll get his new group there.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-Raiders Cornerback Hoping For Another Chance After Disappointing Season
Ex-Raiders Cornerback Hoping For Another Chance After Disappointing Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Las Vegas Raiders had the strongest defense in the league during the second half of the 2023 NFL season. Under head coach Antonio Pierce, the unit was firing on all cylinders and helped the Raiders earned an 8-9 record despite poor quarterback play. Advertisement Unfortunately, it seemed like the team had only caught lightning in a bottle based on their dramatic fall from grace in 2024. Injuries certainly stacked up and hurt the group overall, but several players were not able to replicate their strong performances. This caused Pierce to be fired after one full season at the helm. New head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek have already taken a wrecking ball to last year's four-win roster this offseason. Former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones (18).Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Former starting cornerback Jack Jones was waived by the team before the draft after an up and down campaign in 2024. He recently spoke on an episode of "The Pivot Podcast" and revealed that he is looking for another chance in the NFL. Advertisement "I'm just going to show up and prove it," Jones said. "Whatever team needs a corner is going to give me an opportunity, and I'm going to show up and prove it every day. I'm going to be the best guy on the field and the best guy in the film room.' Jones was claimed on waivers by the Raiders with seven games left in the 2024 season, and he was an electrifying player for the secondary immediately. He had two iconic pick-sixes against Patrick Mahomes and the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. Despite recording 16 passes defended, three interceptions and another defensive touchdown last season, the new regime felt that he was too hit or miss to justify keeping him around. Jones also spoke about his need to improve in this realm. 'It's the day-to-day. It's about being consistent,' Jones said. 'I have to do that by showing up and proving it. I could sit here and tell you I'll be perfect all day, that I'll go 10-for-10 always. But without the work and effort and consistency, it's all talk." Advertisement Jones has also dealt with a handful of legal issues over his football career and developed a bit of a reputation for not being the best teammate. He also acknowledged these accusations and is setting himself out to prove them wrong. 'I'm here for ball,' Jones said. 'All the outside noise that I'm pretty sure they're hearing that 'Jack is hanging out with the wrong group' or 'Jack doesn't always make the right decisions,' I'm going to be there and prove it wrong. I'll show up every day, put on my hard hat, close my mouth and get to work.' Related: Maxx Crosby Details Key Differences for Raiders Before 2025 Season Related: Ashton Jeanty Reveals Which Raiders Opponent He's Most Excited to Play This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Washington Post
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Raiders coordinator Patrick Graham embraces learning from Pete Carroll's defensive expertise
HENDERSON, Nev. — Pete Carroll, like Antonio Pierce just a year prior, retained Patrick Graham as the Raiders' defensive coordinator even after both took over the program and largely cleaned house. Keeping Graham was a testament to the respect both coaches have for the job he has done in Las Vegas.
Associated Press
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Raiders coordinator Patrick Graham embraces learning from Pete Carroll's defensive expertise
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Pete Carroll, like Antonio Pierce just a year prior, retained Patrick Graham as the Raiders' defensive coordinator even after both took over the program and largely cleaned house. Keeping Graham was a testament to the respect both coaches have for the job he has done in Las Vegas. The defense was Graham's to run as he saw fit under Pierce and Josh McDaniels before him, but how much autonomy he will have under Carroll is something to watch. Carroll is a defensive-minded head coach known for creating the famed Legion of Boom in Seattle that was pivotal to the Seahawks making back-to-back Super Bowls and winning one in a 43-8 blowout over Denver. 'Any time you get a chance to work with someone with that experience, that level of success, I couldn't be happier ... just in terms of to bounce ideas off of him and hear different ways of doing things,' Graham said after practice Wednesday. 'It's been really beneficial for my growth, if I'm being selfish. It's just something really good and positive for me. The track record, I mean, why wouldn't you listen? It's been great.' The Raiders likely are far from those great Seahawks defenses, but led by end Maxx Crosby, they aren't devoid of talent. This was a top-10 defense just two years ago, allowing 19.5 points per game. Even more was expected last year before that side of the ball was decimated by injuries beginning in training camp when pass rusher Malcolm Koonce suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Las Vegas gave up nearly an additional touchdown per game, dropping to a tie for 25th with Cincinnati. But even during those struggles, the Graham-led makeshift defense found a way to hold six consecutive opponents to fewer than 20 points during one stretch in the season's second half. Now the challenge is fitting in new players after watching key components such as linebackers Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo and defensive backs Nate Hobbs and Tre'von Moehrig leave in free agency. There also is major concern about the rehabilitation setback of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, whose return from a broken foot creates a noticeable shadow over the unit. That's why the 46-year-old Graham — who interviewed for Jacksonville's head coaching job in January — didn't make a big deal about the continuity his presence means to the team as the Raiders go through organized team activities. 'Each season is so different,' Graham said. 'You take a step back, look at and evaluate yourself, like, 'What did I do, what can I do better, what was good?' Then you look at the defense and see what was good, what was bad. Then you've got to look within the league and see what the trends are. Because if you don't stay ahead of it, you can get in trouble.' No matter the changes, be with the coaches or the players, Graham understands the importance of communication. It's something new Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts quickly came to appreciate. 'When he talks, I'm just kind of zoned in on it,' Roberts said. 'I've spent a lot of time with PG. We only get a certain amount of time in the building, and shoot, I'm trying to pull up on PG at his house. 'I'm telling you, PG is the type of guy he wakes up in the morning, he thinks about football. He can be eating something, he's thinking about football.' Graham and Roberts kept missing each other until now. Graham was on New England's staff from 2009-15 and Roberts played for the Patriots from 2016-19. Then Graham was Miami's defensive coordinator in 2019 and Roberts played for the Dolphins from 2020-22. 'He was running from me,' Roberts said jokingly. 'I get out here and said, 'It's about time.'' And this is the time for teams, the Raiders included, to be optimistic. Many of the post-practice media questions reflected that mindset. Games will be played soon enough, and then Graham will know what kind of defense he has. There also should be more clarity on how he Carroll will work together. Graham was asked about Carroll multiple times, so it's clear that storyline isn't going away any time soon. 'You can see the energy he has and the ability to teach the position and coach the whole team,' Graham said. 'This has been really a great situation for myself, for the players, the coaches. We're watching a master teacher working at his craft and seeing it live and in person. This is really beneficial for us.' ___ AP NFL:
