Antonio Pierce is a former Pro Bowl NFL linebacker and defensive captain for the New York Giants and Super Bowl champion from the 2011 team that upset Tom Brady’s New England Patriots. He’s also a well-regarded coach. His resume includes stints as a defensive coordinator at the collegiate level, a linebackers coach for the Las Vegas Raiders, and as an interim head coach for the Raiders following the midseason firing of Josh McDaniels in 2023. Under his stewardship for the remainder of that season and the next, the Raiders posted a record of 9–7, and he was let go following the 2024 season.

Pierce is considered a strong leader of men, not a wizard of the “x’s and o’s” of football schemes or in-game strategy. At 47 years old, he’s likely not yet reached his peak as an NFL coach and may very well receive another shot running his own team, perhaps following a successful stint as a defensive coordinator. But for teams with current head coaching vacancies, his resume and reputation don’t stack up against those of the more coveted head coaches on the open market, a list that currently includes Super Bowl-winning coaches John Harbaugh and Mike McCarthy and two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski.