Former Chiefs WR Terrelle Pryor hopes for NFL return

Former Chiefs wideout Terrelle Pryor is looking to return to the NFL.

For just a brief minute there—actually a full season—Terrelle Pryor looked like he’d found his place in the National Football League. In 2016, his second season with the Cleveland Browns, Pryor turned in a surprisingly productive campaign of 77 catches for 1,007 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. It was a breakout performance for a player with obvious talent.

It was also the only memorable season for Pryor at the pro level.

These days, Pryor, now 31-years-old, says he’s attempting to stage a comeback. He’s got something to prove and enough in the tank, at least he recently told TMZ Sports that he still feels he can contribute. In fact, he said five teams have been in touch—including the New England Patriots.

"“I can still play,” Pryor says. “And, I can still make plays and dominate. I know that.”"

Pryor first entered the NFL through the league’s annual mid-summer supplemental draft back in 2011. As a big-time recruit at Ohio State, allegations emerged that Pryor had received thousands of dollars in compensation for his autograph. He left the school and entered the NFL early and the Oakland Raiders bit in the third round.

Unfortunately for Pryor, his stint as a quarterback in the pros was short-lived after putting up a 3-7 record as a starter with 9 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. After three years in Oakland, he was shipped off to the Seattle Seahawks for a 7th round choice (classic Raiders). In Seattle, he failed to make the team before the 2014 season and sat the year out.

From here, he latched on with the Chiefs on a one-year deal. Unfortunately he would actually only last five months, since he was released in May after the NFL Draft. The Cincinnati Bengals were the next team to sign and release him. Then came the position switch with the Cleveland Browns and his breakout season.

From there, Pryor would make decent money from the Washington Redskins and New York Jets in subsequent one-year deals but the production was never worth the cost, even on a one-year contract. His final snaps in the NFL would come later in the 2018 season in a single game with the Buffalo Bills. He hasn’t played an official down since then.

Last year the Jacksonville Jaguars did offer him a place to compete during the preseason but even that was a failed endeavor, so it’s hard to believe that he now has something to offer. By now, nearly one third of the league has taken a flyer on Pryor and decided to move on. Injuries have made Pryor’s position switch even more difficult than it already was and now age becomes another hurdle to overcome.

To date, Pryor has caught 115 passes for 1,563 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in the NFL.