The Oakland Raiders have a plan at quarterback and it does not include Terrelle Pryor. Last season saw the coaching staff develop a clear preference for undrafted rookie free agent Matt McGloin. Entering the offseason as a backup looking to compete, Pryor saw his chances of winning the starting job even further minimalized with the trade for Matt Schaub.
For a long period of time this offseason, it had been rumored that the Raiders would consider offers for Pryor, but it was nothing more than scuttlebutt. But now, with the NFL brass collected in Orlando for the annual team meetings, Reggie McKenzie revealed that Pryor has actually requested a trade through his agent. Many assumed this was as a result of the Matt Schaub trade. But as it turns out, the request came weeks ago, before Schaub became a member of the Silver and Black.
That, however, is not the most interesting part of the timing of Pryor’s request. It tells a lot that he wanted out when his only competition was McGloin, but more importantly it says a lot about Pryor’s value on the trade market. Assuming the report that the request came weeks ago is accurate, it may lend factual foundation to the rumors earlier in the offseason that the Raiders were shopping Pryor.
If the Raiders have been shopping Pryor and have not found a trade partner yet, they are rather unlikely to find one now. This means that the Raiders’ best chance of getting any value for Pryor would be to wait until the draft. If a team is unable to get one of the quarterbacks they had targeted, they may be more willing to consider giving up a late round selection for the quarterback Oakland took in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft.
Otherwise, the Raiders will likely release Pryor and allow him to seek an opportunity elsewhere.
