Depending on your point of view, the Raiders’ drafting of Terrelle Pryor was either a bold and grand experiment, or a mistake from the start.
The end result is the same, however: according to multiple reports, the Pryor era in Oakland will end as soon as Monday – or certainly over the next few days.
Pryor, the Raiders’ starting quarterback in Game 1 of the 2013 season, was being shopped around by the Raiders this past weekend, according to Alex Marvez of FoxSports1, and the team had set Monday – the day before Oakland begins its offseason conditioning program – as its deadline. If no trade partner could be found, Marvez reported the Raiders would release Pryor at some point Monday.
Certainly, the team is going a different direction. Veteran Matt Schaub is now the No. 1 QB after a trade with the Houston Texans, and Oakland has second-year man Matt McGloin as its No. 2 with free-agent veteran Trent Edwards also on the roster and another quarterback expected to be taken in the draft that begins May 8.
Though Pryor flashed amazing potential in his brief time as the team’s starter in 2013, he no longer fits in the Raiders’ plans. It’s obvious GM Reggie McKenzie and head coach Dennis Allen prefer to go with a more traditional pocket passer than with an athletic quarterback such as Pryor, who’s still developing as a passer.
The question is, where might Pryor land?
Certainly, there will be suitors. Pryor is too athletic – and has shown such a work ethic and desire to improve – for there not to be interest in him.
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Pryor improved markedly as a thrower last season, winning the starting job in training camp.
Over his first four games, Pryor completed 71-of-104 passes (for four TDs vs. two interceptions) in leading the Raiders to wins over the Jaguars and Chargers. But beginning with a lopsided loss to the Chiefs in Game 5, the season went downhill for both Pryor and the Raiders. An injury opened the door for McGloin, who won the No. 1 job, and Pryor was soon a forgotten man.
Now, he’ll be playing for someone else.
“As expected, one way or another, Pryor will not be part of the Raiders when the team opens up offseason workouts on Tuesday,” wrote Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “It previously was reported that the Raiders would try to trade Pryor. However, we suspected it was unlikely that any team would be willing to give up a draft pick for the dynamic but wildly inconsistent quarterback.”
