The Oakland Raiders came into the 2013 NFL season with high hopes of rebuilding the franchise with new comer Matt Flynn under center. Unfortunately for Flynn, Terrelle Pryor emerged as the better option at quarterback during preseason and now is considered the starter moving forward.
Although Pryor has shown promise and given this storied franchise hope for the future, the Raiders are still pursuing other options at quarterback or at least looking for some insurance behind the Ohio State product.
Reportedly, the Raiders have expressed interest in signing veteran quarterback Josh Freeman according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times via Twitter:
The Oakland Raiders have a definite interest in Josh Freeman. Moving slowly. Cant make mistake on another QB. #mattflynn #jamarcusrussell.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) October 5, 2013
After Freeman was abruptly released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this week, the speculation started to run rampant about where he might sign. Although Freeman struggled to play consistently well with the Bucs over a five-year span, there’s no doubting the fact that he has talent and could be a star in this league under different circumstances with a different team.
Apparently, Oakland may become his next destination with the team expressing interest in bringing him in. Not only has the team shown interest in Freeman, but the veteran quarterback has ties to the team as the result of a favorable relationship with offensive coordinator Greg Olson.
Freeman and Olson worked together in Tampa Bay before the offensive coordinator took the job in Oakland. Olson recently talked about Freeman and had nothing but good things to say about the veteran leading many to believe he’d have no problem if the team signed him.
The real question now is whether or not the team wants to potentially ruin a good thing they have going with Pryor as the starter. Olson has also been impressed with Pryor’s improvement in comparison to last season and believes he has a lot of potential moving forward.
The Raiders may be only 1-3 heading into Week 5, but Pryor has played much better than expected and clearly has a bright future. Bringing in Freeman may put some unwanted pressure on the young quarterback resulting in another quarterback controversy.
