The Raiders season has come far from what the team had hoped for at the start of the year. From a 2-2 start to nine straight loses, the Raiders are now 2-11, eliminated from playoff contention, and currently hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
Now, following the NFL season, every team has self-reflection to do, including the Super Bowl champions. However, the Raiders have to take a long, hard look in the mirror and make some changes.
This reality has not been lost on the team's owner, Mark Davis. Who has said that head coach Antonio Pierce, and general manager Tom Telesco will be evaluated "separately" at the end of the season, as revealed by The Athletic's Tashan Reed.
"They didn't come in as a team," Davis said via Reed. They are individuals."
The important thing there is "separately" because that could lead one to think that Pierce or Telesco could stick around while the other is packing.
Pierce's resume has fallen off since he's taken the full-time job. His stock was at an all-time high last year on Christmas day when the team managed to upset the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, it's been a slow decline, to a steep drop off starting in Week 5, which kickstarted the nine-game losing streak. In his time as the Raiders head coach he has a 7-15 record or a .318 winning percentage. All of this could also have to do with the fact that he doesn't have a stable starting quarterback on his roster, it's definitely a large part of the puzzle. However, it doesn't mean that his seat isn't starting to heat up.
As for Telesco, he helped the Raiders land Christian Wilkins in free agency, but he also went out and got Gardner Minshew. Wilkins is now on IR, along with Minshew, who stalled the Raiders' offensive productions with numerous turnovers. Telesco did have a really good first draft in Las Vegas. He landed Brock Bowers in the first round, went out and got Jackson Powers-Johnson in the second, and then Delmar Glaze in the third. All three of them are now starters and appear to be cornerstones on the offense in their short careers.
While some may criticize Telesco for not making more of an effort to move up and get a quarterback. Davis would push back against that because he himself has said Telesco doesn't have a "mandate" to draft one. As much as Pierce would appreciate the help at the position, the owner isn't forcing it in the draft.
All of this will be answered when the season ends, as the Raiders and the New York Giants battle out the final weeks for the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. All while Pierce and Telesco could be fighting for their jobs.
