The Raiders are one of several teams hoping to solve their quarterback position. Coach Antonio Pierce is looking for a long-term solution.
“I would hope whoever we draft, that’s the route we go, that’s who the starter becomes,” Pierce said this week in Indianapolis, via Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com. “You don’t want to put a Band-Aid at that position. That’s old . . . that’s old, man. I think the Raiders . . . we’ve seen that enough in this organization.”
So it sure sounds as if the Raiders will be looking to draft a quarterback.
“I don’t know how it’s going to play out, but [G.M. Tom] Telesco better start working his magic,” Pierce said. “I told him, ‘It’s your turn now. All eyes are on you. I am going to be undefeated for six more months.’”
Pierce wants a leader at the position.
“I want a guy that can lead, that wants to compete,” Pierce said. “I want a guy that’s not afraid of a challenge, because this is a big challenge that we have in front of us. We’ve got the world champs in our division again. You know what you have to deal with each and every year as long as you have Patrick Mahomes in our division. . . . I want somebody that says, ‘You know what? I am up for that challenge.’ That’s the same way I look at it going against these three coaches in this division.”
Mahomes will be around for at least another decade. Pierce wants a similar player.
“You want the face of your franchise to be the quarterback, to be that guy you can count on for the next 10 years,” Pierce said.
He also wants someone who has gotten results.
“I want to go with a proven winner,” Pierce said. “And somebody that knows what it’s like to grind and go through some adversity.”
“You want guys with a bunch of starts underneath their belts — you don’t want a one-hit wonder You don’t want a guy who had one year of success and say that’s the guy. You want someone who has been battle-tested that has been through adversity, had challenges and wasn’t just handed the keys. Because that’s going to be the process here no matter what we do.”
It’s hard to find a guy who will check all of those boxes. And who will be available when the Raiders select at No. 13.
But that’s what Pierce is looking for. And that’s clearly what he’ll be pushing the organization to do.
