Jemarcus Russell

[broncosinindy]

just curious if there has been any updates on the situation?

[Watchthemiddle]

just curious if there has been any updates on the situation?

Nope and if Culpepper pulls out a decent year, do you think the Raiders will still want Russell next year? Or Russell want the Raiders?

[sneakers]

Nope and if Culpepper pulls out a decent year, do you think the Raiders will still want Russell next year? Or Russell want the Raiders?

What an idiot...but then again, I wouldn't want to sign with the raiders either.

[Retired_Member_001]

just curious if there has been any updates on the situation?

I've heard there's been no improvement what so ever.

Who could blame him?

[SmithOverTO]

I've heard there's been no improvement what so ever.

Who could blame him?

I dont think the Raiders are that far away. Their defense is solid and they really had a nice draft.

And if JaMarcus lives up to the hype, he's just makes the AFC West all the more fun

[Skinny]

I dont think the Raiders are that far away. Their defense is solid and they really had a nice draft.

And if JaMarcus lives up to the hype, he's just makes the AFC West all the more funI like the fun the Raiders are making the west right now! :becky:

[Watchthemiddle]

YUP

Ending months of negotiations and a holdout that stretched to more than six weeks, the Oakland Raiders reached a contract agreement in principle with JaMarcus Russell, the former LSU quarterback who was the first overall selection in the 2007 draft, on Monday.


Barring any glitches, and contingent on formalities like him passing a physical exam, ESPN.com has confirmed that Russell will officially sign a six-year contract on Tuesday and should be on the field for the team's Wednesday practice.


There is still considerable work to be done, however, in terms of drawing up the contract, and a source close to the negotiations said late Monday that the two sides could still be working "very late into the night and maybe into [Tuesday] morning" to craft the precise language of the deal. ESPN.com has learned that Russell is still not in the Bay Area, and will not fly to Oakland until his representatives feel comfortable with all the details of the contract.


Sources said the contract, hammered out in four days of marathon face-to-face negotiations in the Bay Area, has a maximum value of $68 million.

The deal also includes $34.5 million in the first three years, an increase of about 65 percent over the first three seasons of the deal that Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams, the top overall selection in the 2006 draft, will bank in his first three years.

There is a $3 million guarantee in the fourth season of Russell's deal, essentially creating $37.5 million in guarantees.

So, while it appears that the Raiders were able to hold the guarantees in the range that they had been proposing in recent discussions, the long holdout seems to have garnered Russell a very advantageous payout structure.

Of course, it also cost him any opportunity to win the starting job in training camp.

The Raiders' staff chose Josh McCown as the starter after a preseason competition with Daunte Culpepper, who was signed as a free agent during camp.

Russell, 22, staged one of the longest holdouts by a rookie in recent history. In 2002, offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, the first-round choice of the Minnesota Vikings that year, missed the first eight games of the regular season. In terms of top overall picks, no one has held out longer than Russell since tailback Bo Jackson declined to sign with Tampa Bay altogether in 1986.

During his three seasons as the LSU starter, Russell completed 493 of 797 passes for 6,625 yards, with 52 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions.

After weeks of inertia, the parties met for much of the day Friday at an undisclosed Bay Area site, and drew close to an accord. The talks moved in reverse for a while when they resumed Saturday.

Because the Raiders opened the season Sunday against the Detroit Lions, there was not much bargaining.


The weekend negotiations represented the first face-to-face bargaining since the parties met in Los Angeles on Aug. 20 and there was a ramped-up sense of urgency.


The two sides then got back to work Monday and spent much of the day fine-tuning the proposal and committing it to contract language.

[Skinny]

Len Pasquarelli reported he'll practice Wednesday. Be interesting to see how soon he'll start.

[anton...]

before he has even taken a sinlge snap in the nfl, i already hate him and his greedy attitude...

:rant:
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[omac]

Not sure if it was during the pre-game show or during a game, but they reported that JaMarcus was starting to waver, and the Raider players themselves said he shouldn't give in, or they'll lose respect for him. That was either yesterday or the day before. So, the players were actually supporting his hold-out, probably because it sets a precedent that could benefit them too.

[Kapaibro]

Russell, Raiders agree to richest deal ever for a rookie

By JOSH DUBOW, AP Sports Writer
September 11, 2007

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -- JaMarcus Russell and the Oakland Raiders agreed in principle Monday night to a six-year contract that will guarantee the quarterback more than $30 million in the richest contract ever for a rookie.

The two sides met in person Monday for the third time in four days and were hashing out final details of the contract, according to a person familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not finalized.

The final contract needs to be approved by the NFL, but it will be worth at least $60 million with about $31 million guaranteed, the person said. An official announcement could come Tuesday.

The previous record deal for a rookie came when the Detroit Lions gave No. 2 pick Calvin Johnson $27.2 million in guarantees this year. Top pick Mario Williams got $26.5 million in guaranteed money a year ago from Houston.

Russell's agent, Eric Metz, did not return a phone call seeking comment. But coach Lane Kiffin said earlier in the day the two sides were almost done with the contract.

Russell became the first top pick to remain unsigned by the season opener since Bo Jackson sat out the 1986 season to play baseball after being drafted first by Tampa Bay.

The last first-round pick not to be signed by the season opener was offensive lineman Bryant McKinnie, who missed the first eight games in 2002 after being selected with the seventh overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings.

Russell went 25-4 as LSU's starting quarterback, capping his career by throwing for 332 yards and two TDs in a 41-14 Sugar Bowl win over Notre Dame. He finished his career with the Tigers by throwing the second most touchdown passes (52) and having the second highest completion percentage (61.9 percent) in school history.

That success combined with a 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame and a rocket arm made Russell the choice for Oakland with the No. 1 pick in April. The Raiders are building their future around the 21-year-old quarterback, hoping he will help transform an offense that scored just 12 touchdowns last season on the way to a 2-14 record.

Even with Russell set to join the team later this week, he will not be able to contribute much to the Raiders anytime soon. He has missed all of training camp and the exhibition season and will have a difficult time catching up on the lost time.

That means that Josh McCown will remain the quarterback for the foreseeable future. McCown was 30-for-40 for 313 yards and two touchdowns in the 36-21 loss to the Detroit Lions. He also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the closing minutes with the Raiders trailing by eight points.

Kiffin kept his decision to start McCown over Daunte Culpepper in the season opener a secret until right before game time, hoping to gain a competitive advantage by making the Lions prepare for two quarterbacks. He will not use the same kind of subterfuge this week, announcing Monday that McCown will start against the Denver Broncos.

"I thought Josh managed the game extremely well," Kiffin said. "A bunch of little things he did really well, as far as we didn't have a wrong formation all day, we didn't have a missed audible all day. He moved us really well at times. ... I thought he played really well."

The other starting spot Kiffin kept secret before the game was at center, where former Pro Bowler Jeremy Newberry beat out incumbent Jake Grove for the starting spot. But Newberry pulled his hamstring on the first drive and did not return to the game.

Newberry, who played in only 11 games the past three seasons because of various injuries, had never hurt his hamstring before. He tried to stay in the game despite the injury, but left after failing to realize McCown was in the shotgun on the final play of the opening drive.

"I should have come out of the game but I was like, 'Ah, maybe this thing will lighten up,"' Newberry said. "I didn't even hear shotgun. I was just trying to get to the line without my leg locking up on me. I should have came out of the game before the fourth play, I should have."


Yahoo news (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AiJotfPdbaUQphy0.0xKPthDubYF?slug=ap-raidersqbs&prov=ap&type=lgns)

[Retired_Member_001]

What an unlucky man. ;)

[broncosfanscott]

Well now all the 1st rounders are signed :rolleyes:

I am surprised it took so long. I know he probably wasn't going to start the first game and all but they drafted him #1 for a reason, so I figured it would have be taken care of awhile ago.

Now we wait and see what week he starts.