Seahawks trade for Terrelle Pryor because why not?

Nov 3, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) scrambles out of the pocket during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

News broke on Monday night that the Seahawks are shipping a seventh round draft pick to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

At first, I was genuinely perplexed upon hearing the news.

Why do the Seahawks need Pryor? He’s an outstanding athlete, sure, but the Seahawks are locked in with Russell Wilson as their starter and Tarvaris Jackson is a solid backup.

B.J. Daniels isn’t a bad No. 3 on the depth chart, so why in the world trade a draft pick for a quarterback who has yet to prove much of anything in the league?

After thinking the trade through Monday night, I’ve decided the trade wasn’t such a bad idea. As usual, John Schneider knows exactly what he is doing.

“Terrelle is an incredibly explosive athlete and we’re excited for him to come in and compete,” said Schneider following the news of the trade.

Pryor is low-risk, high-reward (seems like I’ve been saying that a lot lately), and didn’t cost very much at all — Seattle’s final pick in next year’s draft.

The statisticians will tell you this was a bad pick up for the Seahawks…

…but Pryor could end up being a really good fit in Seattle.

He will have the opportunity to compete for a spot on the depth chart this summer and one of two things will happen.

1. He impresses the players and coaches and earns a No. 3 spot on the depth chart.
2. He doesn’t impress anyone, gets cut and all the Seahawks lost was a draft pick.

Simple, but also not so simple.

Let’s say Pryor really impresses in training camp and shows that not only can he be a potential No. 2 quarterback on Seattle’s roster, but that he can use his quick feet and strong arm to produce on the field a few plays per game.

In this scenario, the Seahawks could then use Jackson, their previous No. 2 QB, as trade bait and listen to offers from teams who would love to have a veteran quarterback on their team. In the best case, Seattle trades Jackson to fill another position need (i.e. receiver, offensive lineman) and keeps Pryor as their No. 2 man, all at the cost of a seventh round draft pick.

Intriguing? Enticing, maybe?

This is, of course, is very much in the future, but it could be Schneider’s train of thought for now.

And, again, if Pryor doesn’t show production or progression this summer, he will be released and none of the above will happen.

For now, let’s just welcome him to Seattle and see what happens.