Former WPIAL star Terrelle Pryor interested in joining Steelers, has talked to Patriots

Former WPIAL superstar Terrelle Pryor wants to get back into the National Football League.

And the Jeannette Jayhawk alum says he’d prefer to play with either New England or his hometown Steelers.

Pryor tells TMZ that he’s been in touch with approximately five teams. The free agent wide receiver and former quarterback said the Patriots were on that list. He didn’t specify that the Steelers were, but he talked around it and sounded interested at the prospect of a homecoming.

Or going to Foxborough.

“Those two are very intriguing,” Pryor says. “Especially (Patriots quarterback) Cam Newton. I’ve been a big fan of him throughout the years … And, obviously, Big Ben (Roethlisberger), that’s my hometown of Pittsburgh, so that’s just two teams that I really want to play for.”

Pryor says that because of the coronavirus pandemic, he hasn’t been able to get a tryout with any club as of yet.

Back in 2016, Pryor had 1,007 yards on 77 catches and four touchdowns for the Cleveland Browns. But, because of injuries and inefficiency, he meandered through stops in Washington, New York (Jets) and Buffalo in 2017 and 2018, totaling just 36 catches for 492 yards and three touchdowns.

He didn’t play at all in 2019 after being placed on injured reserve by the Jacksonville Jaguars in August of that year. In November 2019, Pryor was stabbed in the neck and chest during an incident with a woman at the Heinz Lofts apartments in Pittsburgh.

In terms of fit, Pryor would likely be no better than fifth or sixth on the Steelers depth chart at wide receiver. They already have JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, Diontae Johnson, and Chase Claypool at the position.

Not to mention Ryan Switzer and Deon Cain still in the mix. Plus, Vance McDonald and Eric Ebron at tight end.

The Patriots may be looking for some pass-catching options. They now have a lot more cap space to use after working out financial settlements with former receiver Antonio Brown and the late Aaron Hernandez. The club also restructured a contract for running back Rex Burkhead. Now, New England has $7.79 million in cap space, according to ESPN.

Any franchise may be interested in the prospect of having Pryor available for use as a quarterback in a pinch, or as a gadget option a la Taysom Hill in New Orleans.

Pryor starred at Ohio State as quarterback and began his NFL career in that capacity with the Oakland Raiders.

As Steelers fans no doubt remember.