Terrelle Pryor insists he wanted a 1-year deal with Washington to prove he’s not a ‘one-trick pony’

Terrelle Pryor isn’t disappointed to have landed in Washington on a one-year deal. That’s exactly what Pryor told his agents he wanted.

“It’s kind of like a ‘prove it’ deal almost to a certain extent,” the converted quarterback told Dan Patrick on the Dan Patrick Show. “I think a lot of people are thinking that this is a one-trick pony, like a one-time thing. You know, just out of nowhere I could catch 79 balls or whatever and go over 1,000 yards.”

Despite Cleveland’s 1-15 finish, Pryor insisted he wanted to remain with the Browns. But Pryor did not accept the Browns’ four-year deal that averaged about $8 million per year, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. Now Pryor is off to join Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins in Washington.

“Overall, I really respect the organization, what Sashi (Brown) is doing and coach Hue Jackson,” Pryor said. “I owe those guys a lot. They gave me an opportunity to play, and at the end of the day it’s a business.”

Pryor was the Cleveland Browns’ leading receiver last season despite a revolving door of injured quarterbacks throwing him the ball. The team featured Robert Griffin III, Cody Kessler, Josh McCown, Kevin Hogan, Charlie Whitehurst, and even Pryor at quarterback over the course of the 2016 season.

Despite recent upheaval in Washington, Pryor is counting on himself to turn this season with Cousins into a bigger payday in 2018.

Cousins and Pryor have a bit of a history. Both played quarterback for Big Ten programs. Pryor was at Ohio State, and Cousins played for Michigan State, but although their college careers overlapped, they never took the field in the same game.

The two did, however, have a chance meeting at a rest area off Interstate 80 last offseason.

“The funny thing is right before camp last year, he was driving home on I-80 to go towards Washington and I was on my way to Pittsburgh,” Pryor said. “And we ran into each other at a rest stop. And we chatted there. It’s crazy how things work, man.”

Playing with Cousins, who finished last season with 4,917 passing yards and 25 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions, should give Pryor a shot to show that he’s a bona-fide NFL receiver. That’s 1,224 more yards and 10 more touchdowns than all of Cleveland’s quarterbacks combined for last season.

“I got a lot to prove and I really can’t wait,” Pryor said. “I look forward to it.”

Washington lost Pierre Garcon to the San Francisco 49ers and DeSean Jackson is off to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cousins will be counting on Pryor to step up this season, too.