After winning on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Las Vegas Raiders torpedoed their chances of landing the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Similarly, the chances of drafting a quarterback, one that would lead the team into a new era of football, dissipated. The Las Vegas Raiders did themselves a disservice by winning a meaningless December game, as an already-eliminated team. In recent Raiders fashion, the teams accomplish the exact opposite of what many suggest would greatly assist a rebuilding franchise.
Now, the team sits in sixth position, far away from any rational thought of landing either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward.
A canyon of talent exists between Sanders/Ward and the rest of the field. While other quarterbacks possess Sanders' arm talent, like Houston's Donovan Smith, they lack his rapid processing and decision-making. In addition, some quarterbacks boast Cam Ward's athleticism, like Alabama's Jalen Milroe, but they lack the feel for the game. \
As a result, the Raiders could end up with a lesser version of the two quarterbacks that they wanted initially. Fumbling the draft bag comes with heavy consequences that the team will feel for years, if they don't find a way to draft higher.
In a game where the Raiders could start a backup quarterback, they roll with Aidan O'Connell, who showed flashes of competent talent, against a Jaguars team that misses Trevor Lawrence. O'Connell handled his business, finishing with 257 yards on 24/38 passing. Head Coach Antonio Pierce spoke to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez, regarding the desire to lose.
"We don't do this to lose," Pierce said. "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."
On balance, Pierce's comment met with bewilderment. Did winning matter when the team lost twelve games for the first time since 2018, and the fifth time since 2012? Speculation abounds that Pierce wanted the team to show signs of life to keep his job or impress a future employer, possibly for a coordinator spot or position coach.
No, the Raiders players did not want to lose, and that remains admirable. However, in a year filled with clock management issues, personnel decisions, and coaching errors, the players led themselves to victory. The true blame resides with the person who crafted the roster and the one who coaches it. The Las Vegas Raiders will either need to overpay a free agent or send multiple high draft picks to place them in a position they should never have left.
