Raiders' Pierce Reflects on Coaching Journey

Las Vegas Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce has blazed a unique trail on his journey to becoming the head man of the Silver and Black.

Pierce started as a head coach at a high school in California, then was a position coach and associate head coach at Arizona State, before becoming linebackers coach of the Raiders. Now he has finally reached the top to become the Raiders’ head coach.

Although Pierce has learned valuable lessons at each stop in his career, he said one was a pivotal part of his journey: the college ranks.

He elaborated on the latest episode of defensive end Maxx Crosby’s podcast, "The Rush with Maxx Crosby."

“I spent four years (at Arizona State), had a lot of good players,” Pierce said. “There was talk of me being the next head coach, and then some stuff came up. Rules are different for every program.”

Pierce put together an impressive roster with the Sun Devils, but regretted leaving.

“I’m not going to lie; I walked away from something that I was building," Pierce said. "I had a quarterback there that I had recruited: Jayden Daniels. Had a corner there in Jack Jones, receivers in [Brandon] Aiyuk, Rachaad White and a bunch of other NFL-type players.

“They came there because they trusted me. It hurt me to walk away from it, to move on. I had plenty of opportunities to go to the National Football League since 2016. I just chose not to do it, so I did television. That wasn’t my time and place, so when I got into that world, I’m like: ‘OK, I’m moving along,’ and I never wanted to have people come on my behalf or work with me or follow my lead and then leave them behind.”

Pierce said he struggled to watch his former players at Arizona State not know what to do when he left. He also said one of the things he enjoys most about coaching is helping players reach the highest level they can achieve.

As for Crosby, Pierce said he will not be remembered unless he wins a Super Bowl, and Pierce has been around Super Bowl-winning players such as Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and is trying to help Crosby reach that level.

The entire podcast episode with Pierce and Crosby can be found here.

From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.

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