Pierce begins the latest Silver and Black era with his first season as the team’s full-time head coach, looking to set the standard and confident that his dynamic D-line duo will be role models.

After Pierce succeeded Josh McDaniels midway through the 2023 season, defense became the Raiders’ trademark. Only the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs scored more than 23 points against the Raiders in Pierce’s nine games as interim coach.

Crosby was the trailblazer; the three-time Pro Bowler continued to play despite his injury and developed into one of the ten best players in the league in the eyes of his NFL colleagues.

Bolstering the Raiders defense and giving Crosby another formidable presence to join him on the defensive line has been paramount this offseason. Enter Wilkins, a 2019 first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins who set a career high with nine sacks in a season.

Wilkins, 28, was able to secure a huge four-year, $110 million contract thanks to his talent and performance, but Pierce praises his intangibles.

“He wants to be the best, he strives to be the best,” Pierce said. “No different than a lot of our players on the team, but what I love about him is his teammate. He’s a great teammate. He’s a good person. You see him bring a lot of these young defensive tackles in and work with them along the way. Not selfish at all, he wants to win.”

Pierce also wants to win and is convinced that the combination of Crosby and Wilkins on offense will make a decisive contribution to that.