Antonio Pierce had an eventful run as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. First, he was the interim that the team rallied around, as a kid from South Central LA got to live out his dreams of being the head coach for his childhood team.
But reality very quickly set in when Pierce took over as the full-time head coach. No longer was the team taking down the Kansas City Chiefs and hanging 63 points on rival teams in primetime games. The Raiders finished 4-13 and endured an embarrassing 10-game losing streak in 2024.
Pierce was fired after just one full campaign, which seemingly shut the door on his NFL coaching dreams for the 2025 NFL season, as he didn't get so much as an interview to be a coordinator. But given how things have played out around the league this week, his next team is now painfully obvious.
Raiders fans shouldn't be shocked to see Antonio Pierce land with Giants
On Monday, the New York Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll after four seasons. While this adds a new layer to the Raiders' game against them in Week 17, Daboll could also be an upgrade over Chip Kelly as the offensive coordinator in Las Vegas.
While defensive coordinator Patrick Graham could find himself in the running for the head coaching gig in New York as well, the stars are seemingly aligning for Pierce to land with the Giants in some capacity, whether it be as a head coach or a defensive coordinator.
Pierce played linebacker for the Giants for five seasons, earning a Pro Bowl nod and serving as a key fixture on their Super Bowl-winning team in 2007. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Jordan Raanan both mentioned Pierce as a name to watch for the full-time job in New York.
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After hiring Daboll, a first-time head coach who came from an offensive background, the Giants may be inclined to flip the script a bit. They could hire Pierce, who comes from a defensive background and has served as an NFL head coach before.
One of their other options, which Rapoport and Raanan mentioned, as well as ESPN's Peter Schrager, is current Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. He was the Giants' defensive coordinator from 2007-2008, as well as from 2015-2017.
Spagnuolo also served as the Giants' interim head coach in 2017. This means that he coached Pierce on New York's Super Bowl-winning team in 2007, and he also had experience in precisely this job. It may not be far-fetched to think that Pierce could join Spagnuolo's staff as a defensive coordinator.
Pierce is clearly close with Spagnuolo, as he appeared at a Chiefs practice this offseason. Nothing is imminent in New York, as Mike Kafka will finish the season as the interim. But don't be surprised if Pierce ends up back in the Big Apple coaching the Giants in some capacity in 2026.