After a disappointing season in 2024, the Las Vegas Raiders are spending the early part of the offseason putting the pieces together for a brighter future.
A new era began in Las Vegas a few weeks ago when the team announced that Pete Carroll and John Spytek would be the team's next head coach and general manager. With a regime change like this, there is expected to be tons of turnover in the building over the next year.
However, Carroll said at his introductory press conference that he was going to keep multiple members of the Raiders' previous staff, and he stuck to his word. Carroll brought back defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and kept several assistant coaches as well, including defensive line coach Rob Leonard.
News broke on Friday, however, that one of the position coaches that Carroll intended on keeping in the building would be headed to one of the franchise's bitter rivals.
Safeties coach Gerald Alexander leaves for Steelers DB coach job
Alexander, who played five NFL seasons as a defensive back for five different teams, is a promising up-and-coming coach at the professional level. He rose up through the college ranks in just six seasons and is now poised to become the Steelers' DB coach next year.
Tre'Von Moehrig had a career year in 2024 under Alexander, and will command some serious money in free agency next month. Isaiah Pola-Mao also had the best season of his career under Alexander, and the secondary did not miss a beat when starting safety Marcus Epps was lost for the season due to injury in Week 3.
Antonio Pierce hired Alexander to be the team's safeties coach in 2024 after spending the previous two seasons as the assistant defensive backs coach in Pittsburgh. Losing Alexander after just one season is a tough blow for Patrick Graham's defense, and could cause a bit of a ripple effect.
All three of the Raiders' safeties who played significant snaps last season -- Moehrig, Pola-Mao, and Epps -- are slated to be free agents, and without their position coach returning, anything could happen. Pola-Mao is a restricted free agent at least, but it would not surprise me to see Moehrig or Epps end up in Pittsburgh.