Raiders star pushing for Antonio Pierce is bad news for the Giants DC search
The NY Giants are beginning to fill out the empty holes on their coaching staff. It started on Thursday evening, when the team announced they'd be hiring former Raiders offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo for the same role. This comes after the Giants fired Bobby Johnson, who had been blamed for the lack of development of young offensive linemen such as Evan Neal.
A new offensive line coach was arguably the biggest vacancy the G-Men needed to fill and they were able to move quickly in order to do so. Now comes another massive need: defensive coordinator. The long, drawn out saga with WInk Martindale and the Giants came to an end earlier this week and it's time for Brian Daboll to find his next coordinator.
The team reportedly interviewed Ravens secondary coach Dennard Wilson and former Titans DC Shane Bowen already. It sounded like a perfect match for Antonio Pierce to come back and coach the team he won a Super Bowl with. Unfortunately for the Giants, it doesn't look like Pierce is going anywhere soon, as Raiders players have backed keeping the former Super Bowl champion as their head coach. The list includes Maxx Crosby:
— 🦅MaddMaxx🦅 (@CrosbyMaxx) January 12, 2024
Maxx Crosby campaigning for Antonio Pierce is bad news for the Giants
Pierce is a hot name this head coaching cycle. Everyone is waiting for what Mark Davis and the Raiders will do regarding their interim head coach. Pierce seemingly has the players and fans support, as Las Vegas is looking to finally get their head coaching job set for the future. Crosby reportedly will look for a trade if Pierce leaves town too. Goodness.
Daboll is on the hunt for a new DC, but it's up in the air which direction he'll go in. Multiple reports have stated the G-Men will have strong interest in Pierce if he leaves town, but other teams are taking a look at him as well. For now, it feels like a long shot that an AP reunion with Big Blue will happen.
The #Raiders haven’t conducted any head-coaching interviews. But there is mounting pressure on owner Mark Davis to retain interim coach Antonio Pierce -- including from the locker room, with All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby likely to request a trade if Pierce isn't retained. https://t.co/qFMcHPMH5u
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 13, 2024
Only time will tell what happens with Pierce, but between Crosby voicing his support for him on social media and the latest trade reports, it seems like the Raiders would be wise to keep Pierce around. Fortunately for Daboll, there are multiple other strong guys in contention for him to hire as his new DC.
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