The Seahawks pulled off a surprise Monday when they traded a seventh-round pick in next month’s draft to Oakland for quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who was moved out of the starting job when the Raiders signed free agent Matt Schaub from Houston. “Terrelle is an incredibly explosive athlete and we’re excited for him to come in and compete,” said John Schneider, Seahawks general manager, in a club release.
Pryor, a native of Jeannette, PA., started the first eight games in 2013 before injuring a knee. His replacement, Matt McGloin, took over and kept the job until the season’s final week. Since Schaub and McGloin will compete for the No. 1 position, Pryor asked the Raiders for his release. GM Reggie McKenzie instead found a trading partner.
Pryor, 24, had a passer rating in his nine starts of 69.1, throwing for 1,798 yards, seven TDs, 11 INTs and 576 yards rushing.
Presumably he will compete for the third QB job with B.J. Daniels behind Russell Wilson and backup Tarvaris Jackson. But Schneider’s reference to him as an explosive athlete raises the possibility that he may be tried at receiver or tight end, or become a “slash” player such Antwaan Randle El and Kordell Stewart were for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
At 6-foot-4 and 233 pounds, he has run sub 4.5-second 40 yard dashes. He owns the longest TD run, 93 yards, by a quarterback in NFL history.
Pryor admitted before the 2013 season that he didn’t have proper throwing mechanics.
“I never really knew how to throw a football before,” Pryor told the Bay Area News Group. “It’s coming along. I’m getting way better.”
Pryor was a subject of controversy at the end of his stellar carrier career at Ohio State (2008-10), where he was MVP of the 2010 Rose Bowl when the Buckeyes beat Oregon 26-17. He was among players who were in receipt of improper benefits, according to NCAA rules, which eventually led to the resignation of coach Jim Tressel. Pryor was reported to have made thousands of dollars signing memorabilia, which his attorney denied.
Pryor eventually quit school and made himself available in the 2011 supplemental draft, where he was taken by the Raiders in the third round. He played in 15 games with 10 starts in three seasons in Oakland, completing 170 of 302 passes (56.3 percent) for 1,953 yards, nine touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 69.3 passer rating.
He also rushed 93 times for 627 yards for a 6.7 average with three touchdowns.
12 Comments
“Terrelle Pryor with former NFL great at the All-American Bowl in 2008. / Wiki Commons”
Hey Art, this “NFL great” is GALE SAYERS fergawdsakes!!! Maybe you can get Wiki Commons to get a clue?
As to Pryor, sub 4.4 40, 6’4″, 233 = WR or TE. Pete will make it happen, after all, “In Pete We Trust”!!!
“Hey Art, this “NFL great” is GALE SAYERS fergawdsakes!!! Maybe you can get Wiki Commons to get a clue?”
All you had to do is roll your mouse over the photo….
I know, still doesn’t excuse the sorry caption.
My bad. That’s what haste brings. Fixed.
This is a very intriguingly interesting pickup. It sounds like he’s most likely a better athlete than anyone they’d grab in the 7th round this year and with the current roster a 7th rounder will likely get cut, so definitely not a bad move. Hopefully it changes from just not being a bad move into a good move.
If John and Pete have something other than QB in mind for him, I hope he’s onboard with it because if our offense can add another explosive athlete to the field and not just the bench, things are gonna get ugly a lot this year for anyone on the other side of the field.
I agree.
Also, knowing John and Pete’s accomplishments, I’m sure TP had to have gotten on board with them BEFORE this trade.
I like this deal a lot. The Seahawks get a guy who was a terrific college QB and showed some skills with a lousy Oakland team, and all it cost them was a seventh-rounder. The knee injury is a concern, but the tools are there. Pryor should get a fair chance to compete for a QB job in Seattle because if he can’t beat out B.J. Daniels for third on the depth chart, then he SHOULD start looking at playing somewhere else on the field.
He has the good fortune of coming to a team whose coach probably won’t immediately project him at WR or TE, as happens with a lot of mobile black QBs who aren’t an immediate success in the NFL. That line of thinking is changing, but I haven’t failed to notice that Brad Smith (who was a super QB and leader at Mizzou) had half a year to play QB for the Jets before he was converted into a WR/KR. Meanwhile, we keep seeing guys like Charlie Whitehurst, Dan Orlovsky and Luke McCown year after year at QB.
I’m a bit suprised that the Raiders didn’t do more to keep Pryor. I think he has a lot of upside as a QB and I don’t consider Schaub a lock to be their starting QB. I wondered if the Hawks might take a flyer on Keith Price as well so this is an interesting deal to say the least. I really don’t see Pryor being the #3 QB. Sounds like the Hawks have the contract dependent on him making the team.
If they do plan on making him a WR or TE that will probably take a year for him to learn. Can they afford to wait for himi? We’ll see.
He wasn’t likely to start at any position for any team this year, and the Seahawks have no urgent need that he could fill. They have the luxury of experimentation.
It’s interesting how over the years the QBs the Raiders draft seem to always fail. When’s the last time they’ve developed one? Marc Wilson?
Oakland goes through quarterbacks like the Mariners go thru losses. Of course, it helps if the QB has someone to throw to, which Oakland doesn’t.
Could he be a bigger version of Percy Harvin?