Good news for Las Vegas Raiders: He is back again..

Guys, don’t build bridges. Remove all bandages. Journeymen not present. A true franchise quarterback to build and nurture the Raiders’ resurrected culture and aura around.

Pierce recently stated, “Whatever quarterback we go with, we’re going out there and we’re whooping ass,” on the “The Pivot” podcast hosted by ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark.

The top three quarterback prospects, however, will most likely be gone long before the Raiders are set to select. They own the 13th overall pick in the draft. The Raiders want a quarterback, but how do they acquire one and who may that player be?

Since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, the Raiders have only three times used a first-round draft pick on a quarterback: Marc Wilson in 1980, Todd Marinovich in 1991, and JaMarcus Russell in 2007. As a result, the Raiders are not known for selecting quarterbacks early in the process.

However, Pierce is related to Jayden Daniels, the Heisman Trophy winner from LSU, who acknowledged Pierce during his December award speech. Their relationship dates back many years, to the time Pierce enrolled Daniels at Arizona State, his first college visit.

Indeed, Daniels was present in the Raiders’ locker room following their heartwarming victory over the Denver Broncos in the season finale, lending Pierce some encouragement and, well, love.

A few weeks ago, when it looked like Kliff Kingsbury would be the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, the general consensus was that Kingsbury, who served as position coach for 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams at USC the previous season, had inside knowledge of how to get Williams to Las Vegas. Kingsbury, on the other hand, veered off course and ran straight for the No. 2 choice, the Washington Commanders.

Right now, it would be quite expensive to move up from No. 13 into the top 3 in order to choose Williams, Daniels, or Drake Maye of North Carolina. Particularly considering that the quarterback position may be contested by the three teams at the top of the draft—the Chicago Bears, Commanders, and New England Patriots.

Tom Telesco, the new general manager of the Raiders, may find the cost prohibitive. Telesco was the general manager of the Los Angeles Chargers for 11 seasons prior.

Think about this: During his time with the Chargers, Telesco only traded up once in the first round, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Furthermore, it wasn’t a good moment for a quarterback: in 2015, he traded from No. 17 to No. 15 to select running back Melvin Gordon III; two years later, he made another trade to go back into the first round in 2020, where he selected linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr.

That’s it.

And it would seem like a Herculean endeavor to climb at least ten slots in April, perhaps requiring the relocation of one or two elite players.

The New York Jets, who are allegedly eager to reunite Adams with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, will have the No. 10 pick if receiver Davante Adams is that player. It’s unlikely that packing the Nos. 10 and 13 picks will be enough to get into the top 2 and guarantee the selection of Daniels or Williams.

Additionally, Adams expressed excitement to ESPN.com about collaborating with new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, whom he had previously worked with when playing for the Green Bay Packers.