There is no love lost between the Kansas City Chiefs and any of their AFC West division rivals.
Of the bunch, however, the case can easily be made that their biggest adversary within the division is none other than the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs have gotten the best of the Raiders in recent years, sweeping the regular season series in 2024 and owning a record of 75-55-2 against the franchise. There is no doubt about the bad blood between the two sides and their respective fan bases, and that goes back to their time in the AFL.
Those facts alone certainly raised a few eyebrows on Wednesday when a former Raiders head coach made an appearance at training camp and was walking with Kansas City's coaching staff while wearing the Chiefs' colors.
According to FOX4 News Kansas City's Harold R. Kuntz, ex-Raiders HC Antonio Pierce was spotted during Wednesday's training camp practice.
Steve Spagnuolo walking down to the field with Antonio Pierce. Pierce in the #Chiefs shorts. pic.twitter.com/uNLXtyKqQe
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) August 6, 2025
Chiefs Recruit Ex-Raiders HC Antonio Pierce to Help Them During Camp
Despite his most recent coaching job coming with the hated Raiders, NFL veteran Antonio Pierce has a direct connection to Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, as the two worked together during their time with the New York Giants. Pierce, a linebacker at that time, and Spagnuolo were part of the Giants' defense that helped New York to a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Pierce was fired by Las Vegas following the 2024 campaign, where he led the team to a 4-13 record. The nine-year NFL veteran is putting his knowledge to work for Kansas City as he assists his former defensive coordinator during training camp.
This should be especially beneficial for players like Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill as they lead the linebacker corps entering the 2025 campaign. Having a known and respected former Pro Bowl player take the time to help those two players and their peers in the linebacker room perfect their craft is something that should not be taken lightly.
Even the most die-hard Chiefs fan would admit that having a player as productive as Pierce present to offer an additional set of eyes and ideas during training camp is beneficial for Kansas City's coaching staff and roster. The fact that Pierce also has experience coaching at the collegiate and NFL levels only adds to what he can provide for the team.
It also isn't unusual for the Chiefs to bring other coaches into training camp to get an outsider's perspective. It was only last August when Kansas City controversially hosted Jon Gruden as a special guest. Funny enough, he's also a former Raiders coach like Pierce.
Whether this visit is a one-off or not, the Chiefs will be better off having had the veteran linebacker and coach offering his assistance to Spagnuolo and the players on the defensive side of the ball.