Sources: Antonio Pierce, Raiders are a preferred destination for Shedeur Sanders

Brian Daboll is reportedly coaching for his job in New York but he’s not the only one. Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is believed to be aboard a similar boat in Las Vegas and the next seven games will go a long way toward determining his future with the team.  

If the Raiders (2-8) show enough promise, beginning Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS) at home against Denver (6-5), Pierce could keep his job. But would that scenario hurt the team’s chances of getting the top quarterback prospect in the 2025 draft? Possibly, but there might be another set of circumstances developing in Pierce’s favor. 

There is a sense among league sources that Deion Sanders believes Pierce, despite the Raiders’ 2-8 record, would be a good fit for his son, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Asked at Big 12 Media Days held at Allegiant Stadium in July how he’d feel about Shedeur calling Las Vegas home, Deion said, “That’d be nice. He has a wonderful head coach and wonderful president.” Four months later, sources say Deion Sanders’ feelings on Pierce haven’t changed.

“Great man, great man,” Sanders said of Pierce in July. “Great leader. Earned the job. They didn’t give him nothing. He earned the job. I love what he brings to the table. I don’t want him to lose to the point where he has the ability to get Shedeur. Let’s get that straight. I don’t want that to happen; I really don’t. But I wouldn’t mind some kind of way it happens that he’s here.”

If the Raiders don’t “earn” the top pick in the draft, it’s possible that “Coach Prime” will follow in the footsteps of Archie Manning and Jack Elway in steering his son to the team he prefers.

The Colorado head coach also said this week he prefers to stay at Colorado, especially after landing a commitment from the nation’s top high-school quarterback prospect, Julian “JuJu” Lewis. Plus, Shedeur Sanders also has a relationship with new Raiders minority owner Tom Brady.

As first reported by ProFootballPost.com, Brady’s friend and former teammate Mike Vrabel continues to be the team’s first choice should the Raiders move on from Pierce.

But if they retain Pierce and add Shedeur Sanders, the Raiders would immediately upgrade an offense that already has the best young tight end in the NFL. Despite playing with two starting quarterbacks this season, Brock Bowers ranks second among all NFL players with 70 receptions and leads all tight ends with 706 receiving yards. On Sunday against the Broncos, he needs five catches to become just the third rookie tight end in NFL annals with 75 receptions, joining Sam LaPorta (86 receptions in 2023 with Detroit) and Keith Jackson (81 in 1988 with Philadelphia).

For more information on the Raiders and Broncos, visit the Las Vegas and Denver team pages at ProFootballPost.com.