After days of speculation, a disappointing reality has officially set in for the Atlanta Falcons: John Harbaugh will not be their next head coach. The Falcons were near the top of Harbaugh's list, but after visiting the New York Giants' facility yesterday, all hopes were dashed by a late-night stunner.
The Super Bowl-winning head coach's plan was to still take other interviews, but his visit in New York changed his mind, and they managed to get a deal done just hours after he left the facility. They've been putting on the full-court press for days now, so it's no secret this was always bound to happen.
Now that the 63-year-old will officially be coaching in New York next season, it's led the Dirty Birds to do their homework on additional candidates. And that led NFL Network's Mike Garafolo to confirm the team has an interview scheduled for later this week with ex-Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.
The #Falcons will interview Antonio Pierce for their head-coaching job later this week, sources say. The former #Raiders HC, who interviewed for the #Giants’ job last week, will meet in person with his former CBS colleague Matt Ryan and Atlanta’s group handling the search. pic.twitter.com/RXUlol7ODI
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 14, 2026
Pierce isn't as polished as many of the other experienced head coaching candidates the Falcons are looking into, so this one is a bit perplexing. In just under two seasons in Las Vegas, the 47-year-old compiled a 9-17 record, so he's definitely not the answer to this team's prayers.
Falcons admit defeat on John Harbaugh front by scheduling an interview with Antonio Pierce
Pierce is respected by players and fared okay as the Raiders' interim coach in 2023, but struggled with the full-time role. He was fired after going 4-13 in 2024, where he struggled with game management and had issues with Davante Adams, yet Pete Carroll's Raiders finished with a worse record despite working with an improved roster.
After winning a Super Bowl with the Giants as a player, Pierce interviewed for the Giants' head coaching job last week. It's assuring to know that the Dirty Birds aren't the first head coaching interview for the Pro Bowl linebacker, but his interview with the Giants was a courtesy meeting.
Garafolo also revealed that Pierce worked with with Falcons' president of football Matt Ryan at CBS, so this interview could also be a friendly courtesy. This could unfortunately end up being a Rooney Rule interview, but it's more likely that he's being considered to join Atlanta's next coaching staff.
Blank loves coaches with past head coaching experience, and it's no secret that Ryan's connections have have shaped this search. Yes, Pierce deserves to be on an NFL coaching staff, but not as a head coach, so maybe he's set to become a DC or top defensive assistant if Jeff Ulbrich is retained like most fans expect.