Terrelle Pryor could be out the door, wants to start?
Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) holds onto the ball against Denver Broncos outside linebacker Nate Irving (56) during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Denver Broncos defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-14. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oakland Raiders backup quarterback Terrelle Pryor led the team to their most successful games last season due to his cannon arm, electrifying speed, and get-the-crowd-moving play. But Pryor also has incredibly inconsistent accuracy and poor decision-making, and both of those undermine the upside his arm, speed, and athleticism give him. The Raiders seem to be done with the Pryor experiment, as they traded for Matt Schaub to be their starter, have high interest in Derek Carr (my No. 2-rated QB in this year’s draft class, just a hair ahead of Blake Bortles), and view Matt McGloin as a dependable backup going forward.
According to CSN Bay Area’s Scott Bair, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie stated that his agent (not the same one who made inane comments against head coach Dennis Allen, as that agent was obviously canned) has expressed a desire for Pryor to leave and start elsewhere. He clearly isn’t going to be able to pursue a starting job in Oakland, as the Raiders are almost surely committed to Schaub and could potentially groom someone like Carr, who is a much better QB than Pryor, to start.
Pryor did show plenty of talent, but he just doesn’t have the tools outside of the physical ones to be a franchise quarterback in this league. He isn’t going to start anywhere next year, and he may even have to switch positions. I do love watching Pryor, though, so hopefully things can work out for him. That’s not happening in Oakland, though, so I would be shocked if he is still with the team in 2014. McKenzie would love to find a trade partner for Pryor, but I fully expect him to be released at some point.