Antonio Pierce’s Las Vegas Raiders tenure was almost very different. It’s no secret that last offseason he wanted Kliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator and Jayden Daniels as his quarterback.
He almost got Kingsbury before the Washington Commanders offered him a better contract but Daniels was never a realistic option. Pierce recruited the quarterback to Arizona State and the two maintained a close relationship.
However, Washington was never going to trade down from No. 2 once they decided that Daniels was their guy. The Raiders went 4-13 this season while the Commanders went 12-5 and are headed to the NFC Championship game. Pierce was fired after the season.
He hasn’t said anything publicly since getting let go, but he couldn’t ignore Daniels’ excellent performance on Saturday. Pierce posted a video on Instagram of him hugging Daniels at Allegiant Stadium.
Pierce is clearly happy for the quarterback who has already won two playoff games as a rookie. He helped lead the Commanders to 45 points against a Detroit Lions team that was widely expected to win. Daniels is likely on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and while a Super Bowl appearance seemed impossible for the Commanders at the beginning of the year, it can’t be ruled now with how they’re playing.
What Could’ve Been
Watching the Lions-Commanders game had to be a frustrating experience for Pierce. Washington was a worse team than the Raiders last season but already surpassed them in a major way and they did it with people Pierce wanted to work with.
Kingsbury is obviously a far superior playcaller than Luke Getsy, who the Raiders hired as offensive coordinator. The rumor is that he wanted a three-year contract but Las Vegas would only give him two. That’s not Pierce’s fault and perhaps he still has a job if Kingsbury was on the staff this year.
Getting Daniels was going to be essentially impossible. Not only would the Commanders have to have either liked a different quarterback or been willing to trade down, but there were plenty of times with higher draft picks that would’ve been willing to trade up for Daniels. In the end, it was likely Pierce’s fault that the Raiders couldn’t get the quarterback. If he would’ve gone 0-9 instead of 5-4 as an interim head coach, Las Vegas would’ve had a high enough pick to get Daniels.
Ben Johnson Now Free To Sign
The other big story from the Lions’ playoff loss is that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will now be able to interview in person and be hired as a head coach. The Raiders have been heavily linked to the coach and now have the chance to seal the deal.
Detroit may have lost the game but it wasn’t due to the offense. They scored 31 points despite having five turnovers. Johnson is obviously one of the best offensive playcallers in the NFL and will be coveted for a number of jobs. The fact that he’s out of the playoff early could work in favor of the Raiders because now he doesn’t have as much time to talk himself out of taking the job. If Las Vegas wants him, they have to pounce quickly.
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Antonio Pierce Makes First Post Since Raiders Firing