FAYETTEVILLE - Former Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson signed his first professional contract Tuesday with Oakland, the day before the Raiders report for training camp.
“I knew I wasn’t going to miss any time at camp, so I’m glad we got what we wanted done and everybody’s on the same page,” Wilson said.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Wilson said it was a four-year contract with the potential to renegotiate after three years.
“Now it’s time to go learn the offense and try to find away to win the job in camp,” Wilson said.
Oakland General Manager Reggie McKenzie announced the deal two days before the Raiders, who are coming off a 4-12 season, open preseason camp in Napa, Calif.
Wilson, who has participated in the team’s mini-camps and organized team activities this spring and summer, was a fourth round pick by Oakland, the 112th selection overall, in the NFL Draft.
Oakland Coach Dennis Allen has said Matt Flynn, the former LSU quarterback who was acquired in a trade with Seattle, will be the team’s starter entering training camp, but media reports from Oakland have indicated Wilson’s play in mini-camps have put him in contention to compete with Flynn and former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor for the starting job.
National writers have expressed intrigue about Wilson’s prospects for winning playing time in Oakland. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah wrote in April that Wilson was “one of the toughest quarterbacks I’ve ever evaluated,” and another NFL.com analyst, Josh Norris, ranked Wilson as the top quarterback available in the 2013 draft.
Wilson, a native of Greenwood, passed for 7,765 yards and 52 touchdowns at Arkansas, including two seasons as the starter, leading the Razorbacks to a school record-tying 11 victories and a Cotton Bowl victory in 2011.
Wilson’s 62.6 percent completion rate, 7,765 passing yards and 593 completions are all Arkansas records. He also holds the school record with passing yards in a game - 510 in a 43-38 victory over Texas A&M in 2011.
The Raiders still have two unsigned draft picks in first-round cornerback D.J. Hayden and second-round offensive lineman Menelik Watson.
Sports, Pages 19 on 07/24/2013