The Oakland Raiders managed to pull off a last-minute trade with quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The Seattle Seahawks opted to add the versatile player to their rotation as he will now compete with Tarvaris Jackson as Russell Wilson's backup. Pryor has made it known that his intentions are to start in 2014, so will he make a position switch in order to do so?
Seahawks general manager John Schneider stressed that the trade for Pryor was simply to get better at every position, whether that be at the backup quarterback spot or elsewhere. Seattle views Pryor as a multi-talented threat who has a strong arm and speed that can bring their offense to another level. Schneider noted that a player like Pryor is rare to find and the team could not let another club swoop him up if the quarterback were to be released by the Oakland Raiders. But will they utilize that talent at quarterback or elsewhere?
"We haven't had those conversations," Schneider said, via SiriusXM NFL Radio. "But if there was ever an athlete that would be able to play a slash role, if you will, it would be this kind of player. That may a little bit fantasy football at this time of the year. He's a quarterback. He's been a quarterback, but no we haven't gotten into that. This guy is a very talented athlete and we can't wait to put our hands on him and have our staff spend some time with him."
Right now, the Seahawks have four quarterbacks. Russell Wilson is of course the starter as he enters the third year in his four-year rookie contract. Tarvaris Jackson re-signed in the offseason with one fully guaranteed salary that actually pays more than both Pryor and Wilson. BJ Daniels is also on the roster, but can expect to get released in the near future. The quarterback position is suddenly crowded in Seattle, but Wilson believes that can only yield positive results.
"I think the thing about our quarterback room is that we want to be the hardest-working guys in the room, and the hardest-working guys in the building," Wilson said. "That's the way we look at it. I know that Terrelle will bring that to the table. We're looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to just being around him and getting out there. I know that our locker room definitely became more athletic with him. He can do a lot of great things."
Pryor could find himself in a Tim Tebow situation where Seattle is just not sure exactly how to use his skillset. He is too talented and dynamic to work simply as a backup. Pryor did spend time as a starter last season before getting injured. The Seahawks will likely use him in a hybrid running back situation. Considering he and Wilson have the same skillset, bringing in Pryor as a change-of-pace player is unnecessary. The only way Pryor is seeing the field is if he is willing to be flexible on what position he plays.
