Terrelle Pryor could soon be punching his ticket out of the Black Hole. According to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie is considering either trading or releasing Pryor. And a decision could be made soon, per the report.
Asked Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie about Terrelle Pryor’s future with the team and McKenzie suggested Pryor could be traded or released soon.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) March 24, 2014
Pryor began the 2013 season behind newly signed Matt Flynn on the Raiders’ depth chart before taking hold of the starting job. Injuries and the surprising play of late-round draft pick Matt McGloin forced Pryor back to the bench.
The acquisition of veteran Matt Schaub and the team likely selecting a quarterback in May’s draft, Pryor instantly falls out of contention the starting job. Pryor could be desirable on the trade market, though as a starter his numbers were not too impressive. In 11 games last season, Pryor, 24, threw for 1,798 yards, seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He finished with a 57.4 completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 69.1.
According to Pro Football Talk, Pryor has wanted out for a while now. In January , the disgruntled quarterback “had decided that the time had come” to ask out of Oakland after falling behind McGloin on the depth chart.
Teams in need of a quarterback such as the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings could show interest, but Pryor does not fit the current offensive systems of any of those teams. In addition, it does not make sense to send a late-round draft pick on Pryor given what we have already seen out of him when the pick could be better spent on a rookie with a higher upside that fits each team’s respective scheme.
Pryor won’t cost a team too much, though. He is set to earn $700,000 for the coming season, so perhaps a team that would like to design a Wildcat package around him would make sense.
Oakland selected Pryor in the NFL’s Supplemental Draft out of Ohio State, and prior to the 2013 season admitted he is still a raw product that needs to improve upon his mechanics.
“I never really knew how to throw a football before,” Pryor said to the Bay Area News Group. “It’s coming along. I’m getting way better. I probably missed four or five throws out of 80, 85 throws today. I might ice my arm as a precaution tonight, but it feels great.”
