Pierce cherishes win: Raiders don't care 'for anybody's draft projections'
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said he doesn't care that Sunday's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars could've cost his team a chance to pick in the top three in the 2025 NFL Draft.
"We don't do this to lose," Pierce said Monday, according to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. "We don't do this for anybody's fantasy football team. We don't do this for anybody's draft projections. None of that shit matters to us. The only thing that matters is winning, and that's all we want to do."
The Raiders entered this past weekend with the projected No. 1 pick in next year's draft, according to Tankathon. Las Vegas and the New York Giants were the only teams in the league with two wins in 2024, but the Raiders owned the strength of schedule tiebreaker over N.Y., as the team that plays the schedule with the lower winning percentage receives the higher draft choice.
However, Pierce's outfit is now projected to pick at No. 6 after beating the Jaguars 19-14 to snap a 10-game skid and move to 3-12. New York lost to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
The Raiders - as well as the Giants - have already been linked to quarterbacks ahead of the 2025 draft. However, selecting Colorado's Shedeur Sanders or Miami's Cam Ward - arguably the best quarterback prospects next year - could be out of reach if Las Vegas doesn't pick in the top five.
That's seemingly also not a major concern for Raiders owner Mark Davis, who celebrated and congratulated players in the locker room after the win over Jacksonville, according to Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
Las Vegas has matchups against the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers in the final two weeks of the season.
The Raiders haven't had a top-five draft pick since 2019. They selected tight end Brock Bowers 13th overall this year.