By ESPN | Created at 2024-12-23 20:27:12 | Updated at 2024-12-24 02:40:19
6 hours ago
Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterDec 23, 2024, 03:22 PM ET
- Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
HENDERSON, Nev. -- Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce does not care one bit about his quarterback-needy team's draft slot slipping from No. 2 to No. 6 with its 19-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Even as Raiders fans howled loudly and negatively about the possibility of Las Vegas falling out of contention for the overall No. 1 pick and potentially selecting either Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders or Miami QB Cam Ward.
"We don't do this to lose," Pierce said Monday. "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--- matters to us. The only thing that matters is winning, and that's all we want to do."
The Raiders (3-12) snapped a 10-game losing streak, their longest such skid since 2014, with the win over the Jaguars, who fell to 3-12. Las Vegas also has wins over the Cleveland Browns (3-12) and Baltimore Ravens (10-5).
Per ESPN Research, the current draft order has the New York Giants (2-13) with the first overall pick, with the New England Patriots (3-12), Jaguars, Browns and Tennessee Titans (3-12) then picking ahead of the Raiders at No. 6.
The Raiders play at the New Orleans Saints (5-9) on Sunday before closing out the regular season at home against the Los Angeles Chargers (9-6), who may have already clinched a playoff berth by then.
The Raiders last held the No. 1 pick in 2007 and used it to select JaMarcus Russell. In fact, the Raiders have only drafted three quarterbacks in the first round since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger -- Marc Wilson (1980), Todd Marinovich (1991) and Russell.
Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell steered clear of reactions to the team's draft slot after Sunday's victory.
"I don't read anything, so I don't really hear it," O'Connell said. "Ignorance is definitely bliss and that's how I'm rolling."
