Raiders vs. Seahawks: How Long Can Oakland Afford for Terrelle Pryor to Develop?

The Oakland Raiders' current starting quarterback is Jason Campbell, who is 29 years of age. Terrelle Pryor is a backup with the team and is 22 years of age.

The fact is, Campbell has proven over his years in Washington and Oakland that he is not a franchise quarterback, but a reliable game manager.

Campbell is not going to be the star in Oakland that the team needs at the quarterback position to hang their future on. Terrelle Pryor could possibly be that player.

At 22 years of age and with a five-game suspension to start his rookie season, Pryor won't even be ready to be an average rookie starter this year. He needs time to develop. Physically, he has all the gifts, but all the gifts in college don't always translate to the NFL.

Just ask Tim Tebow.

Speaking of Tebow, the Raiders' divisional rival Denver Broncos have shown the Raiders exactly how not to go about grooming a developmental prospect at the position. Tebow is under so much scrutiny in Denver during a time in which he should be focusing on mastering his craft and preparing himself to be a starter in the future.

Instead, the Broncos got ahead of themselves and dangled the starting position in front of Tebow ahead of this coming season, putting pressure on him to perform when he wasn't adequately prepared.

With Pryor, the Raiders must be patient. They have proven that they can develop with Jason Campbell at the helm, after he led them to an 8-8 season.

While Raiders fans don't want to be a .500 football team, they may have to be for the next season or two in order to be more formidable in the future.

In my mind, it always takes until the third season for a quarterback to be fully developed and, as such, fairly judged as a professional.

In three seasons, Terrelle Pryor will still only be 25 years of age, Jason Campbell will be 32. The fact is, Campbell will still be a relatively effective quarterback at that stage of his career, while Pryor should be pushing his way into the starting lineup.

Provided he sits for his rookie year and maybe most of his second, the Raiders should have no worries about the state of his development as they enter his third season. Now, that may seem like a long time to wait. However, just consider the value of a franchise quarterback and how effective a guy like Aaron Rodgers has been in Green Bay.

Following the same process, it would definitely be worth the wait.

Considering Rich Gannon's 2002 season was the last real season that this team had a franchise quarterback, they should have no problem waiting just another few years for their next potential star.

Should Pryor establish himself as a legitimate NFL quarterback, he could lead the Raiders for the next decade or so. Rushing things in the short term may seem like a necessity, but the idea that good things come to those who wait also carries its virtues.