ORLANDO, Fla. — Almost from the moment Antonio Pierce sat down to talk to the media on Monday at the NFL’s annual league meeting in Orlando, you knew the Raiders coach would field a question about LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.
More than just the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and among the top three quarterbacks in the draft, Daniels and Pierce share a connection that goes back to when Daniels was a high school star in Southern California, and Pierce was the recruiting coordinator at Arizona State.
That relationship, coupled with the Raiders’ need for a franchise-caliber quarterback, has created an assumption that Pierce and Daniels could reunite in Las Vegas at some point. Making that happen, though, would require the Raiders to move from the 13th pick in April’s draft to either the second or third pick.
Pierce makes no secret about being as aggressive as possible to do what is necessary. So it was only a matter of time before that possibility came up on Monday.
“So are you moving up to get Jayden, or what?” someone asked Pierce.
“You got the pick?” Pierce immediately responded. “Can you go make that happen, please?”
Even if he tried, Pierce could not make it any clearer what he thought about adding one of the premier quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft. Nor the prospects of doing what is needed to go get him. And he isn’t about the hide those feelings behind the facade of secrecy or hesitancy.
A month ahead of the NFL draft, Pierce isn’t closing himself off to any possibilities.
“I think everything’s on the table,” Pierce said. “Whatever makes the Raiders better, I’m all for. When I say I’m a go-getter, meaning whatever it takes to win, whatever it takes to get the best player to make our team the best, that’s what I want to do, and that’s what I’d like to see us do.”
This is a developing story. Ch
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at[email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
