Report: Raiders' Antonio Pierce Told by Mark Davis to Focus on Wins, Not Draft Pick

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis reportedly urged head coach Antonio Pierce to coach to win down the stretch this season.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo (beginning at the 1-minute mark of the video), Davis stressed winning over draft position, and Pierce has delivered by leading the Raiders to back-to-back wins:

Garafolo noted that while Davis is "pleased" with the Raiders' recent performance and there is "optimism" Pierce will be retained, his future remains undecided.

After starting the season 2-12, the Raiders were trending toward potentially having the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but that changed due to a recent two-game winning streak.

Vegas secured a 19-14 home victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, and then took down the New Orleans Saints 25-10 last week on the road.

As a result, the Raiders are positioned to have the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft entering play Sunday, although they could move up or down depending on the result of their game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Raiders will host the Chargers on Sunday, and while the Chargers have already clinched a playoff spot with a 10-6 record, they still have something to play for.

With a win, they will secure the No. 5 seed in the AFC and a first-round playoff matchup against the Houston Texans. A loss would drop the Chargers down to No. 6 and give them a conceivably tougher game against the third-seeded Baltimore Ravens.

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh suggested to reporters this week that he does not intend to rest his starters, so Pierce and the Raiders will likely have to go up against a Bolts team at full strength.

That will make ending the season on a three-game winning streak a difficult proposition, but Pierce should be motivated to win if he is indeed coaching for his job.

From an organization perspective, a loss would probably be better for the Raiders since it would give them a more realistic shot at landing a franchise quarterback in the draft.

Veteran free-agent signing Gardner Minshew struggled mightily this season, and while Aidan O'Connell has proved himself to be serviceable over the past two seasons, the 2023 fourth-round pick does not appear to be the answer as the starter.

As of now, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward are widely considered to be the top two quarterbacks in the draft, and they both have a strong chance to go in the top five since several quarterback-needy teams are poised to pick early, including the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and New York Giants.

For Pierce, the Raiders' draft pick won't matter much unless Davis decides to keep him as the head coach in 2025.

Pierce has only had one full season as the Raiders' head coach after taking over in an interim capacity last season and going 5-4.

Success has been far more difficult to come by this season as evidenced by the Raiders' 4-12 record, but poor quarterback play has been the biggest culprit for Vegas' struggles, and it is fair to wonder how Pierce would fare with more competent performances from under center.