Pryor knows his role with the Seahawks but has larger aspirations

Terrelle Pryor has no delusions about where he stands in the pecking order of Seahawks quarterbacks. He’s competing with Tarvaris Jackson to be Russell Wilson’s backup, and there’s no guarantee that he makes the team if he doesn’t win that job.

But he has much larger aspirations – and expectations – beyond that.

“I’m always going to be a very fiery, competitive guy. I will start in this league and I’ll be a big-time player, without a doubt in my mind,” he told 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Brock and Salk” Tuesday. “But right now, it’s all about roles. You gotta know your role and be ready when your time is up. When your opportunity is there, take advantage of it, seize it.”

Seattle acquired Pryor in an offseason trade with the Raiders, who had drafted him in the 2011 supplemental draft. The Seahawks’ belief was that they wouldn’t find a player as talented as Pryor with the seventh-round pick they relinquished.

The move was a surprise considering that Jackson is not only considered one of the league’s better backups but that his job in Seattle seemed secure – for 2014, at least – when he signed one-year deal worth a guaranteed $1.25 million. Not only that, but the Seahawks have tended to carry only two quarterbacks on their active roster under coach Pete Carroll.

That’s why everyone seemed to wonder whether Seattle might try to utilize Pryor’s athleticism at another offensive skill position like receiver, a thought that has been repeatedly dismissed.

“I don’t know how to play anything else at all,” Pryor said. “I don’t.”

That means Pryor could be playing not just for the backup job but a job of any kind in Seattle, something that will be determined during the preseason.

He was 9 of 16 for 137 yards in last week’s preseason opener against Denver, entering the game behind Wilson and Jackson. His up-and-down night was summed up with Seattle’s final possession. Pryor put the Seahawks in position to win with an 86-yard drive that would have resulted in the go-ahead touchdown had it not been for a dropped pass. But one play later, with Seattle on Denver’s 3-yard line, Pryor threw an interception in the end zone.

It was a mixed bag for Pryor, one that didn’t make it any easier to project where he’ll end up in Seattle’s backup quarterback competition.

Regardless of what happens, he believes his time will come eventually.

“The way I think of it is somebody that loves the game so much and loves the quarterback position so much and respects it so much and watches so much film and stuff like that, I think you’re going to get your chance and you’re going to have your time,” he said, “That’s the way I look at it. I truly and firmly believe that.”