Another year, another former Raiders coach is visiting Chiefs training camp.
Jon Gruden was draped in red as he watched the Chiefs prepare for the 2024 season. And this week, Antonio Pierce has been at camp at Missouri Western.
Pierce, who coached the Raiders in 2023-24 and came up with the ill-fated “Mahomes Rules,” has been a guest of Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
The two have known each other for nearly two decades.
“I think you guys probably know this. Antonio and I have been close for a long time. In ’07 when I went to New York with the Giants, he was the Mike linebacker,” Spagnuolo said of the middle-linebacker position. “The present-day version of Antonio Pierce is (the Chiefs’) Nick Bolton now.”
Spagnuolo said Pierce brings a wealth of experience that is valuable to the Chiefs players for a variety of reasons.
“He became a coach, and all the way to being a head coach, he obviously had that when he was a player,” Pierce said. “That’s a nice thing to have when you’re a defensive coordinator, a guy that’s that cerebral. I’ve got a lot of respect for Antonio. I’m glad he came through. The guys are loving having him. He’s giving feedback from a player’s standpoint, coach’s standpoint, head coach’s standpoint.”
Spagnuolo paused and with a twinkle in his eye added: “And maybe we’ll ask him about some Las Vegas Raiders stuff.”