A former defensive back for the Las Vegas Raiders is making a comeback. Erik Harris was signed to the practice squad by the San Francisco 49ers on November 28.
Harris, 33, has not played this season after spending the previous two years with the Atlanta Falcons. Prior to that, he spent four seasons with the Raiders, serving as team captain during that time.
Harris has been a great success story, going undrafted in 2012 but playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League before being signed by the New Orleans Saints in 2016. He had the most time with the Raiders, where he started 30 games over four seasons.
Harris now joins a 49ers defense that is the best in the NFL, allowing only 15.5 points per game. He’s now on the practice squad, but his expertise could propel him to the active roster. He has yet to appear in a postseason game in his career, but that could change this year if he can stay with the 49ers.
Antonio Pierce Talks Marcus Peters Move
Marcus Peters’ career was over after the Raiders benched him in the second quarter of their Week 12 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. His poor tackling and lack of effort on numerous plays were too much for the squad to overlook.
Peters is a three-time Pro Bowler who grew up in Oakland, California, where the Raiders once played. Despite having everything going for him, he was unable to complete a full season with the team. Benching and cutting Peters was the most difficult decision interim head coach Antonio Pierce has had to make so far, and he had nothing but positive things to say about the cornerback following his release.
“Me and M.P. had some good conversations throughout this entire process,” Pierce said during a media availability on November 27. “When he initially arrived, I was the linebacker coach. [He’s] a someone I admire both on and off the field. I admire what he’s accomplished in this game. He’s businesslike, yet it’s a business. We’re all going to get laid off. We’re all going to lose our jobs. Isn’t it true that you get recruited to be fired? As a result, he understands. That is something I am aware of. It’s a facet of business that we all despise.”
It remains to be seen whether Peters will continue to try to play football at the age of 33.
It Wasn’t Easy for Antonio Pierce to Cut Marcus Peterso
Antonio Pierce is now learning on the job because he has only a season and a half of NFL coaching experience. His sole head coaching experience was at the high school level, which is vastly different from professional coaching.
It wasn’t easy for him to let go of a big-name athlete like Marcus Peters.
“Yeah, it’s always difficult when you have to release a player,” he remarked. “I’m not looking forward to that conversation.” I despise it. I despise it. It isn’t good. It’s not a pleasant sensation.”
Although it appears that the two parties parted on good terms, the decision to fire Peters demonstrates that Pierce is capable of making difficult decisions if he is given the full-time head coaching post.
Since 2019, Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. His main work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” He is a Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas.More information on Austin Boyd
