The Raiders have had five different starting quarterbacks the past two years since moving on from Derek Carr. That doesn’t count Jarrett Stidham, who finished out the 2022 season by starting the final two games.

They may or may not have their franchise quarterback on their roster now.

The Raiders were headed toward securing the No. 1 overall pick, and their choice of quarterback prospects, until victories over the Jaguars and Saints the past two weeks. They now sit eighth in the draft order.

There will be free agent quarterbacks available, but Antonio Pierce was asked several times about whether Aidan O’Connell could be the team’s starter next season.

“I think Aidan O’Connell will be a starting NFL quarterback,” Pierce said, via Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com.

Pierce may not even be back, and it’s not likely to be his decision even if he is. But in the past four games, O’Connell has thrown for an average of 236 yards per game with four touchdowns and an interception.

“Yeah, I think he’s been resilient, obviously go back to the quarterback competition in the spring and training camp,” Pierce said, via Justin Churchill of atozsports.com. “Thought he handled it like a pro. He was always ready to go. And then when we made a move to start him — I think the Rams week — obviously gives us a good chance there. And then he got injured and came back. I think he’s just a resilient player. I think it’s kind of like what we saw last year: Just the more reps he gets, the more opportunities he gets, he makes the most out of them, and like I said, whenever he protects the football, he puts us all in a better position.”