"Just win, baby." That's always been the Raiders' mantra, a phrase coined by the late Al Davis. It seems to be the mantra for head coach Antonio Pierce, too, despite the team being in contention for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.
The Raiders entered Week 16 holding the No. 1 pick in the draft, according to Tankathon. Las Vegas went on to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-14. Coupled with other results, the Raiders dropped to No. 6 in the draft order, and the bottom of the group of 3-12 teams in terms of strength of schedule.
The New York Giants hold the top spot at 2-13, followed by the aforementioned group of 3-12 teams. The New England Patriots hold the second pick, followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns rounding out the top five.
With the Raiders long gone from playoff contention, fans have been clamoring for the team to try and get the best draft position they can. Pierce isn't about that. He's in this business to win.
"We don't do this to lose," Pierce said Monday. "We don't do this for anybody's fantasy football team. Don't do this for anybody's draft projections. None of that s--- matters to us. What matters is winning, and that's all we want to do."
Pierce's seat has been warming up for weeks and he's ultimately coaching for his job. His hope is that the Raiders show fight in these final few weeks to give owner Mark Davis a reason to keep him around for another year.
Even if it means a lower draft pick.
