Kliff Kingsbury spoke highly of the Las Vegas Raiders’ organization during his introductory press conference with the Washington Commanders.
He didn’t go into details when asked about his almost-stint with the Raiders, but there doesn’t appear to be any ill-will between the two sides. It’s just business.
“I don’t want to get into the specifics but I have a tremendous amount of respect for the organization and Mark Davis and [Antonio Pierce] – huge fan of his,” Kingsbury said at his introductory press conference on Feb. 15.
Kliff Kingsbury says he doesn't want to get into specifics of why the Raiders deal fell apart, nor does he wants to answer a question about Magic Johnson's involvement.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) February 15, 2024
For those who missed out, Kingsbury had a deal in place to become the Raiders offensive coordinator, but pivoted at the last minute. The Washington Commanders hired him moments later, while Vegas went with former Chicago Bears’ OC Luke Getsy.
You could say it was a bit of a ‘welcome to the offseason’ moment for Pierce, who is entering his first full season as the Raiders’ head coach.
Antonio Pierce Blames Magic Johnson for Kliff Kingsbury Debacle
Pierce was asked about the debacle during a recent interview on The Pivot, a podcast hosted by former NFL player Ryan Clark.
As he always does, Pierce kept it real.
“N-F-L — not for long,” he said. “I thought we had a guy, but not for long. Until you put pen to paper, man, that’s one thing I learned. It’s no different than us [players] in free agency, right? Teams are recruiting you, things are going on.”
“Just win Baby” was the motto that Al Davis lived by & he had a bad a$$ @raiders jacket to match it. AP’s wife Jocelyn wanted to get @AntonioPierce the same jacket. So, I reached out to @andrejulius1987 & he did the dang thing!! @thepivot X Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce!… pic.twitter.com/uxAqMmiZDJ
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) February 16, 2024
He also gave props where props were due.
“Listen, Magic Johnson’s pretty good. I guess he can still dish it out a little bit. If I’m losing to Magic, I’m OK with that.”
Magic Johnson is one of many people who joined the ownership group of the Washington Commanders last season — a group led by Josh Harris.
According to a report by Ian Rapaport on Feb. 5, it was Johnson who convinced Kingsbury to pivot.
From Super Bowl Live with @TomPelissero from Radio Row: Breaking down the key injuries this week, how Magic Johnson stepped in and helped the #Commanders land Kliff Kingsbury and Ron Rivera interviews with the #Cowboys today. pic.twitter.com/8tg7QMKNbI
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 5, 2024
“My understanding is Magic Johnson, who is a limited partner with the Commanders, was actually the one to step in and kind of pull Kliff Kingsbury back and go, ‘You know what if this deal with the Raiders isn’t perfect, maybe there’s a home for you in Washington,’” Rapaport said.
If true, it’s yet another assist for a player who racked up 10,141 of them during his 13-year NBA career.
Or, from the Raiders’ perspective, another steal for a player who had 1,724 with the Lakers.
Either way, both teams are ready to move forward.
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Raiders Expected To Hire Luke Getsy as OC After Kliff Kingsbury Debacle
