Part 4/9:
In a peculiar twist, while Pierce did not secure enough victories to preserve his job beyond the season, he won just enough to hinder the Raiders’ chances of acquiring an elite quarterback in a talent-rich draft. The recent draft features multiple standout quarterback prospects, yet the Raiders’ late-season surge saw them positioned too low to trade up and grab a franchise quarterback. This paradox of winning too many games while also being too incompetent to succeed continues to plague the franchise’s future planning.