Shortly before Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his first career start and took down the Las Vegas Raiders in their own stadium, ex-Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce told all when it came to Sanders and the franchise.Speaking with CBS Sports, the one-time Raiders head coach revealed what the Raiders quarterback room might have looked like if he got another year on the Job.Pierce Tells All“When I was with the Raiders, he was one of our top choices,” Pierce said. “If I would’ve stayed there, there’s no way he goes in the fifth round, I’m making that choice and the decision that we’re drafting him. (Owner) Mark Davis was on board with that, our organization was on board, we believed in what we saw with Shedeur and saw enough.”
Instead, the Raiders fired Antonio Pierce and cleaned house in the front office before hiring head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek. One of the first moves the new leadership regime made was to trade for veteran quarterback Geno Smith and then handing him a massive contract extension, locking him in as the Raiders' present at quarterback and elimating Sanders as an option.Antonio Pierce and the Raiders were all in on Shedeur Sanders pic.twitter.com/Z8xz1F0p7R— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 23, 2025“One thing about Shedeur, we see all the glitz and glamour, hitting the watch and what time it is, and all of this,” Pierce said. “He’s born for this. His pedigree is for moments of this magnitude that he’s going into. He’s against a Raiders team that’s struggling, but the guy plays well; it’s just that he’s Deion Sanders’ son, and we overly criticized this kid from Day 1.
“You might not like his persona, you might not like his aura about himself, but Cleveland does. Every time he comes in the game, those fans go nuts. He’s a guy who I think is going to bring some excitement, I think he’s going to bring some energy and some life to an organization that has struggled for so long at the quarterback position.”Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll | Darrell Craig Harris, On SICarroll and the Raiders appear to have missed on the Smith move, and they could have easily drafted Sanders before the Browns took him on Day 3. And on Sunday, Sanders made the Raiders pay for the decision by handing them their latest loss.It is tough to think Sanders would have found much success on the 2025 Raiders squad, but the season has gone so off the rails and so quickly that it is at least worth asking what if.Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Silver and Black when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. Not only is it 100% FREE, but we also don’t spam you or sell your information. SIGN UP HERE NOW.We'd appreciate it if you would follow us on X @HondoCarpenter, @EZTrez_SI ,and IG @HondoSr , and we also invite you to visit our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE