Giants Would Reportedly Have Interest in Antonio Pierce for DC Job If Not Retained by Raiders

The New York Giants have yet to make the reported resignation of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale official, but a parting between the 60-year-old defensive coordinator and the team seems imminent, per multiple reports.

Meanwhile, head coach Brian Daboll's selection of a new defensive coordinator will be one of the biggest decisions he makes this off-season regarding his coaching staff behind the offensive line coach and special teams coordinator. 

One such candidate the Giants could be interested in is an all-too-familiar face who just happens to be highly regarded as having a brilliant football mind: Antonio Pierce.

Pierce, currently the interim head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, could draw the Giants interest for their defensive coordinator position if he's not retained by the Raiders as their head coach, according to Fan Nation colleague Hondo S. Carpenter, publisher of Raiders Today.

Pierce, who played for the Giants from 2005 to 2009, helping them win Super Bowl XLII, rejuvenated a broken Raiders team following the firing of head coach Josh McDaniels. The 45-year-old Pierce led the Raiders to a 5-4 record en route to an 8-9 record and second place in the AFC West.

During his playing career, which began in 2001 with Washington after he went undrafted, Pierce earned a reputation as having a brilliant football mind, with an ability to diagnose plays before they were run and react accordingly.

Former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who coached the Giants 2007 Super Bowl team, often regarded Peirce as a coach on the field, who made his job a lot easier with his ability to get the defense lined up correctly and adjust as necessary.

Pierce was voted a Giants team captain for his outgoing nature and leadership. A neck injury ended his playing career, but Pierce transitioned to coaching a few years later, first working at the high school level (Long Beach Poly HS) before making a move to Arizona State, where his roles included linebackers coach, recruiting coordinator, associate head coach, and defensive coordinator.

The Raiders hired Pierce in 2022 to be their linebackers coach. He was named the interim head coach following the dismissal of McDaniels.

Raiders owner Mark Davis has yet to decide whether to remove the interim tag from Pierce's current title, but according to ESPN, Davis was pleased with the progress the team made under Pierce's leadership.

"Yeah, I think the team really played well down the stretch, and I think going 4-2 in the division is really a positive for us," he said. "That's what we have to take care of first is the division. And we went into Kansas City, in a tough game, and beat them [20-14 on Christmas Day], and we took care of Denver here at home to end the season."

ESPN further reported that Davis "has no time frame in naming a full-time coach," which could determine whether the Giants or any other team might be able to get hold of Pierce to interview for an opening. 

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