The New York Giants’ coaching search continues with an old friend, as Antonio Pierce is interviewing with the team on Thursday and Friday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report on the two-day meeting with general manager Joe Schoen, who is getting another chance to oversee a monumental move for a franchise that has won just seven games over the last two seasons.
Pierce spent nine years in the NFL as a linebacker, which included a five-year stint with the Giants from 2005 to 2009. He was one of the foundational members of the defense that anchored one of the greatest upsets in NFL history with Big Blue’s Super Bowl XLII victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
The 47-year-old began coaching in 2014 and rose to the college ranks with Arizona State, where he spent four years — two as the Sun Devils’ defensive coordinator. He joined the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 as their linebackers coach, but just one year later was elevated to interim head coach following the dismissal of Josh McDaniels following a 3-5 start.
Pierce went 5-4 to finish out the year, which was enough to give him the permanent head-coaching job in 2024. He lasted just one season, going 4-13, before he was fired.
This would be more of a nostalgic hire than anything, as Pierce is not considered the favorite at this time. The Giants’ list of candidates is a lengthy one, and it is being topped by John Harbaugh, the former long-time Baltimore Ravens head coach who parted ways with the franchise on Tuesday.
Former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, ex-Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, and Mike Kafka, who took over for Brian Daboll after he was fired in Week 10, are among other known prospects who have or will be interviewed.
