The Raiders’ win over the Jaguars on Sunday had no bearing on the playoff race, but it mattered a great deal to the top prospects entering the NFL in 2025.
It was the Raiders’ third win of the season and it left the Giants as the only two-win team in the entire league. That gives them the inside track on the first pick of the draft and it left some Raiders fans feeling bemused about the team hurting their chances of getting that selection as consolation for a terrible season.
On Monday, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce made it clear that he didn’t care to hear such complaints.
“We don’t do this to lose,” Pierce said. “We don’t do this for anybody’s fantasy football team. We don’t do this for anybody’s draft projections. None of that s—t matters to us. Only thing that matters to us is winning and that’s all we want to do.”
Draft prognosticators have not settled on a surefire first overall pick for this year at this point and the Raiders need enough talent across the board that they are likely to find a player who will help them wherever they wind up picking in April. With any luck, that player will help them avoid future conversations about whether it is better to win or lose in the final weeks of a season.
