Several sources as well as reports are coming out that the Raiders will be cutting JaMarcus Russell within the next few days. The Raiders acquired QB Jason Campbell on draft day from the Washington Redskins which prompted reactions that Russell was going to be cut before next season.
I Russell were to be retained, he would make around $9.5 million dollars to be a backup. That salary is unacceptable. The Raiders will be on the hook for $3 million regardless which means that releasing him saves the team $6.5 million. One option on the table initially was that Russell take a pay cut. But he has made it clear that he will not take a pay cut so the only option now is to let him go.
| Year | G | St | Comp | Att | Pct | Yds | Tds | Int | Rat |
| 2007 | 4 | 1 | 36 | 66 | 54.5 | 373 | 2 | 4 | 55.9 |
| 2008 | 15 | 15 | 198 | 368 | 53.8 | 2423 | 13 | 8 | 77.1 |
| 2009 | 12 | 9 | 120 | 246 | 48.8 | 1287 | 3 | 11 | 50.3 |
| Career | 31 | 25 | 354 | 680 | 45.1 | 4083 | 18 | 23 | 65.2 |
The Raiders are said to be going over all the details and finalizing the paperwork to make this release happen. The expitious nature of this is partly due to the fact that this Friday, the Raiders hold their first mini camp. The thinking is that if Russell were to attend the camp and hurt himself, the Raiders would be saddled with his entire salary. If somehow Russell were not released by Friday, the team would likely ask him to stay away from camp to ensure he didn’t get injured while they decide exactly how they want to proceed.
I theorized a month ago that the 2nd round tender the team placed on Bruce Gradkowski was “the Fat Lady in Russell’s Swan Song“. Well, the fat lady is out of breath and Jason Campbell just brought down the curtain. Now we wait for the usher to direct everyone toward the exits.
ALSO SEE:
JaMarcus Russell: Lowering The Bar
JaMarcus Russell: A Cautionary Tale
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