The Oakland Raiders may be closing in on signing veteran quarterback Josh Freeman after a week of speculation surrounding the 25-year-old’s immediate future in the NFL. Although Terrelle Pryor has seemingly locked up the starting role in Oakland this season, reports have surfaced about Freeman becoming the starter for the Raiders if signed by the team according to Michael Silver via NFL: Around The League:
If Josh Freeman goes to Oakland, it’d be as a starter over Terrelle Pryor @MikeSilver says.
— NFL: AroundTheLeague (@NFL_ATL) October 6, 2013
Once the Raiders were linked with Freeman following his release from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the consensus seemed to be that he’d simply be replacing trade bust Matt Flynn as Pryor’s backup. Flynn got his first start for the Raiders last week against the Washington Redskins and was unimpressive to say the least.
Flynn was demoted to third string earlier this week leading many to believe the team has given up on the veteran. With Flynn more than likely done in Oakland after this season, bringing in Freeman to be a solid backup makes sense, but making him the starter is questionable.
Pryor has made quite the impression on the Raiders coaching staff and the fans in Oakland this season. Many believe Pryor is the future face of the franchise and has a lot of upside moving forward. Bringing in Freeman to be the starter would drastically change the progress made by Pryor and may make the former Ohio State product sour on the prospect of staying in Oakland long-term.
