LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Raiders held their first press conference on Wednesday following the hiring of the new permanent head coach and general manager.
The Silver and Black hired former Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco on Tuesday night and signed fan-favorite Antonio Pierce on as the permanent head coach earlier this week.
"I couldn't be more excited to be here, but [I] also realize that there is a tremendous responsibility with this job. The fact that Mark and the whole leadership have trusted me with this, I couldn't be more happy to be a part of this," Telesco said.
He added, "From the first interview, I could really tell that there was a connection and a fit, and that's really important in this league. And when I came back the second time, and Antonio was there, I felt it again."
Pierce — who started his comments with a Raiders chant — echoed Telesco's excitement about their developing partnership, saying, "I think it's going to be a partnership that we can build for years to come... and hopefully, it comes with a lot of W's and a lot of Raiders chants."
"Our plan is to win, put a team in place that is competitive each and every week and has the opportunity to win," Pierce added.
Pierce was brought on as interim replacement following the firing of former head coach Josh McDaniels and former general manager David Ziegler in November 2023. The news came after a tough loss against the Detroit Lions in Week 8.
Telesco was fired from the Chargers — alongside head coach Brandon Staley — in Week 15 following a historic 63-21 loss against the Raiders. Something Pierce and Telesco apparently discussed following the latter's hiring.
"Never seen anything like it," Telesco said.
Pierce added, "We hashed it out and agreed that we would be doing that together going forward."
