Raiders' Jack Jones Talks Antonio Pierce, His Longtime Mentor

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce has coached cornerback Jack Jones at the high school, college and NFL levels.

Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones (18) interacts with then crowd during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports | Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones has quite a luxury by being acquainted with Coach Antonio Pierce for as long as he has.

Pierce coached Jones at Long Beach Poly High School and Arizona State before the Raiders added Jones to the roster last season.

"Man, I couldn't even put it into words," Jones told reporters on Wednesday. "I don't think there's ever been a situation where a player has been with a coach since high school, that's special. I mean, I'm blessed. I thank God for that for real."

Pierce is in his first offseason as the Raiders' head coach. While Jones has been familiar with Pierce's leadership for quite some time, his presence is new to some.

Jones said the vibe has been "different" in OTAs.

"I would say a lot of energy," he said. "AP [Antonio Pierce] is bringing the energy out of the players,
and if you don't have players to go hard, then you're not going to get the best out of the players. So, as long as players are going hard, you're going to get the best out of them, and I think that's what we're seeing right now."

Jones knows as well as anyone that Pierce has a unique bond with his players.

"To be honest, I think he [Pierce] never says too much," Jones said. "He says just enough, and he never makes a player felt uncomfortable with being yourself, it doesn't matter how that looks. Just come be yourself, take care of your job, your responsibility and we're good from there."

Pierce got the full-time head coaching position this offseason after leading the Silver and Black as the interim head coach for the final nine games of the 2023 season.

For Jones, he couldn't have been happier.

"I'm going to be honest, it was nerve-racking for me," he said. "It was like, 'Man, I hope.' I was praying. But I was happy he [Pierce] got the job, it was just like a situation where like, he's got to get the job. He's got so many players, so many fans, so many people behind him. At least give them him opportunity, but I'm definitely happy and blessed for him that he got the job."

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