Antonio Pierce had brutal message for new Raiders GM

Aug 26, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders linebackers coach Antonio Pierce watches from the sidelines against the New England Patriots at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Patriots 23-6. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce was not shy about reminding his new boss what happened when their teams faced each other earlier in the season.

The Raiders introduced Pierce and new GM Tom Telesco on Wednesday, which led to a fairly amusing moment. Telesco joined the Raiders after being fired by the Los Angeles Chargers, his new team’s AFC West rival. Telesco was fired after Pierce’s Raiders beat the Chargers 63-21 in a nationally televised Thursday game that also cost coach Brandon Staley his job.

Pierce was not afraid to remind Telesco of that. The new coach admitted that he had already mentioned it to Telesco, and was not shy about pointing out that the Raiders had wanted to get up to 70 points.

Question from @PGutierrezESPN – How quickly did you mention the 63 points in Week 15 to Tom Telesco?

Antonio Pierce: "Right away, you know! I told him we were going for 70!"

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 24, 2024

That game likely played a significant role in Pierce getting his interim tag removed. He might as well tout it, even if it is a way of tweaking the team’s new GM.

Telesco was a fairly surprising hire for the Raiders, as the team seemed satisfied with interim GM Champ Kelly. Telesco’s AFC West experience clearly mattered, though the Raiders will want to ensure that no more 42-point losses are in his future.