Terrelle Pryor believes signing with Steelers could revive his career - ‘If I played with them, I’d be right back on the map’

With seemingly endless news about players who want to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, it is comforting to know that there are still some prospective free agents out there who are interested in joining the Black and Gold. Sadly for Steelers fans, the latest name to express a desire to play in Pittsburgh might not be one that they want.

Appearing as a guest on Sports Radio 610 while at the Super Bowl in Atlanta earlier in the week, wide receiver Terrell Pryor revealed that the Steelers are on the shortlist of teams he would like to sign with during free agency.

“I would love the opportunity. I believe if I played with them, and there’s a couple of other teams on my mind. But if I played with them, I’d be right back on the map and I think I’d have success. I would help JuJu and AB and some of their younger guys, bring my experience. Along with other teams, there’s a couple of other teams that would be great fits, but I definitely would love that opportunity, especially to play for a coach like Coach Tomlin. That’d be awesome.”

As of local product coming out of Jeannette High School in Southwestern Pennsylvania, signing with Pittsburgh would be a homecoming of sorts for the veteran. However, given that his one and only productive season of note was back in 2016 with the Cleveland Browns, it would be fair to question what the Steelers would be getting from him in 2019.

Signed to play quarterback by the Oakland Raiders after he was selected in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft, Pryor would last just three years in Oakland before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Released before the season began, he would sit out of all of 2014 before having brief stays with the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals ahead of the 2015 regular season.

Announcing a decision to switch to wide receiver later that year, Pryor would sign with the Browns during training camp. While he would see limited action in his first season at receiver, he would begin the 2016 campaign as the starter, recording 77 receptions for 1007 yards.

As a free agent in 2017, he would sign a one-year deal with the Washington Redskins worth $8 million, but would end the year with just 240 yards from 20 receptions in nine games after being placed on injured reserve mid-season.

Despite signing at $4.5 million contract with the New York Jets as a free agent in 2018, Pyor would be looking for a new team once again when he was released in October, later spending two weeks on the Buffalo Bills roster.

Injuries have derailed each of his last three seasons and Pryor has only played a full 16-game schedule once in his NFL career. Set to turn 30-years-old before the 2019 season begins, it is unlikely that the veteran wide receiver will have too many suitors on the open market this time around.

Beyond being a camp body that could challenge for a role as the fifth wide receiver for the veteran minimum, Pittsburgh should have little interest in him when free agency begins. And given the potential at the position they already have on the roster, it is hard to see much value in signing him.