Terrell Pryor Would Benefit From Short CFL or UFL Stint

By Joe Pietaro
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Updated: June 9, 2011

Besides the opportunity to attend official team practices and play in actual games, the Canadian Football League and United Football League are both huge drop offs from the National Football League. But for a young player in need of as many reps as possible and a few things to prove, they may be a wise destination for a single season.

While the NFL goes through its lockout, Terrell Pryor has endured quite a rocky offseason himself. The three-year Buckeye starting quarterback made it official this week and will not be returning to Ohio State due to the NCAA investigation into him receiving improper benefits. The free tattoos he has admitted to may result in something a lot more important than that.

If Pryor had made himself eligible for the 2011 NFL Draft, he would at least have had a known destination, albeit one that would be on hold during the labor dispute. But the fallout didn’t occur until afterwards and Pryor is now looking to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders sent Pryor’s attorney a contract offer to join the CFL club and all indications point to him turning it down. But he should really give it some thought before rushing to judgement. For a player like Pryor that has many question marks concerning his readiness to play at the next level, a league where athletic quarterbacks shine is not the worst place to get your feet wet. Warren Moon and Doug Flutie are two names that roll off the tongue when speaking about QBs who made their bones up north and transcended that into successful NFL careers.

The CFL schedule begins in June and at the start, does not go directly up against the NFL’s, but that is the case with the UFL. The newest outdoor pro football league plays in the fall and has a rule that a player must spend the entire season there after signing a deal. So if Pryor goes to a UFL team and the NFL settles it contract situation even during the season, Pryor would have to wait until the short schedule commences before even negotiating with someone else. That may be counter-productive to Pryor reaching his ultimate destination, but is a better situation than sitting out the entire season.

He has to make a decision and his development should be the main reason. Pryor has even been mentioned as a wide receiver project in the NFL and he has to establish himself as a quarterback if that is the position he wishes to continue playing. Missing his final season in college may have bigger ramifications for Pryor than he realizes right now.