The Raiders will be curious today, when meeting face-to-face with his agents, if unsigned No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell is somewhere close by. If Russell is still in Atlanta or Mobile, Ala., his hometown, the club will know that agents Ethan Lock and Eric Metz aren’t really serious about finally getting a deal done.
The Raiders, who are limited by their current rookie salary cap pool number of $2.975 million, have frustrated Russell’s agents because the maximum allowed hard-cap guaranteed money, no matter the structure, is $29 million.
However, the Raiders have discussed adding another $2 million to that total in what is called soft-cap dollars, money that can be earned by inserting incentives that will be easily attained by Russell. For example, an easy incentive would be if he takes 30 percent of the snaps in 2008 or 2009. However, Russell’s people may want more than $31 million. They originally asked for $35 million.
Last year’s No. 1 pick, Mario Williams, received $26.5 million in guaranteed money. Reggie Bush, who was perceived as the best player in last year’s draft, received a bonus package very similar to what Houston paid Williams. This year’s second overall pick, Calvin Johnson, received $27.2 million in guarantees, and he was believed to be the best all-around player in the draft.
If Russell gets $31 million, it would be a significant boost over what Williams and Bush received last season.
There were rumors on Thursday that the Raiders were going to play hardball with Daunte Culpepper, who will be the backup quarterback on Sunday behind Josh McCown, and ask him to reduce his $3.2 million contract, thus freeing up more money for Russell. However, the Raiders have no intention of messing with Culpepper, who remains a favorite of owner Al Davis.
Rookie head coach Lane Kiffin, who still declines to name his starter against the Lions, picked McCown over Culpepper.
NO rookie ever derserves the money this thugs get these days....that's what is wrong with this whole American sports thing these days...greed..ego..ect.ect.
These "Thugs"??? Now exactly what word did you really want to use in that statement? Hmmm? One thing is for certain. Brady "Big Game" Quinn surely didnt deserve the money he got so I guess I agree with you.
Football needs to set itself up like the NBA. That way the vets get the lions share of the money and the rookies, while not hurting for money, get signed.
The thing to remember about the greed factor in sports is perspective. If you do your job and are paid 50,000 per year, you will not be happy if someone new comes in doing less work and getting 75,000. The scale is greater, but the idea is the same.
Beside, the owners are not hurting for cash, so until I see owners holding begging bowls, let the ones who put their buts on the line get all the money they can while still able to.
Either intentionally or by stupidity, the Raiders are showcasing some of the flaws of the NFL. And this time is not the “Tuck” rule; is rookie contract issues. Thanks to them commish Godell will likely push for restructuring the way these contracts issues are resolved. Jamarcus should be very worried because if he does not sign and McCown or Culpper work out, he will probably be in next year draft and for sure he won’t be #1 again. Not only he’ll loose this year’s salary he will likely get a smaller contract. And if the rookie contracts issues get resolved before by next year he might end up getting a lot lees money. All of these events will positively affect all other 32 teams and will push the NFL light-years forward. And the Raiders would have triggered all of this, either intentionally or by stupidity. The Raiders might loose their franchise QB of the future; but in the process they will define the future of the NFL. So all of those AL-D critics and Raider haters should be thankful for everything he has done for this league. Like or not, one day all of he’s great accomplishments will be showcased on an NFLN special.
Last edited by Commissioner on September 7th at 1:07 PM.
yeah Mutt u r correct!!! These rooks are getting crazy money and haven't played 1 game. The world is crazy, we are talking about 5,10,15 + MILLION DOLLARS and someone wants to hold out. I guess the most honest thing I can say is I M JEALOUS!!!
Mutt, you hit the nail on the head. The NBA has a good (not perfect) salary scale for rookies that the NFL should adopt for their own. Unfortunately, the NFL is much more physical than the NBA, MLB, etc., so players need to get the most "guaranteed" that they can get. I am not saying that they are not spoiled for crying like babies. But in an age where retired NFL players are fighting to get decent health care and benenfits from a union that has completely abandoned them after their careers are done, I understand the players/agents logic behind getting the max amount of cash they can get. Either way, I hope Jamarcus arrives in Oakland real soon.
Last edited by imjustbeingreal on September 7th at 1:18 PM.
Am I hearing what I think I am? This Russell punk no more deserves this money than Ryan Leaf deserved it when he came into the league! Lets ask the Charger fans how that one worked out. Russell hasn't even played a down and he walks around like Hall of Fame material demanding the moon. I say let him go till next year. Some other team can sink their futures in to him. Look, the Silver and Black are going to struggle to get to .500 this year with or without this chump anyway. Go Culpepper. I hope J.Russell takes snaps for some other squad so I can root against him...... What a jerk
Last edited by hooyewcrapin on September 7th at 1:21 PM.
Hooyewcrapin, I am not saying that he deserves anything, I am just saying that I do understand the business side of it. It is an unfortunate situation, and a sad one if you are a Raider. But we will be fine, lets go Daunte, and GO RAIDERS!!
I hope the guy signs. I just don't want the kid under these circumstances. If he is this hard to get to sign a contract, how hard is it going to be to keep him around once he's a starter(which won't be this season no thanks to him). I am all for him making enough to settle the nation deficit.....after he proves he is actually a winner.
I do have to admit I am excited about this Kiffin team. They look like they want to change things in Oakland.
Your Dreaming Mutt. The NFL could not be set up the same way the NBA is set up because the life expectancy of NFL players is half of NBA players. The NFL players get only two chances for big contracts there Rookie contract and there second contract. You can’t blame the players when it’s the owners that throw out obscene amounts of money and record breaking guaranties every year. Every body is blasting Al Davis for not signing Russell but he’s the first one to stand up to these absurd agents.
When is the NFL going to stop screwing around and step into all rookie contract negotiations by setting a max cap from pick position. Then use the excess cap money in the system to take care of all the retired players who sacrificed their bodies to make this game great.
Last edited by ptwilli on September 7th at 1:43 PM.
After non chalantly missing training camp he is probably a bench warming student, & maybe not a very bright one at that !!
So Al ought to cut his original offer in 1/2 & say, you brought this on yourself !!
Sign or go back to school !!
& since he opted for the draft, he can't play college ball anymore !!
The NFL does indeed need to impose limits to how much each tier of the draft can be signed for !!
There are good players out there making less money than some of these farts in the wind who don't even make the cut on NFL teams !!!
Make a statement Al !! You got a couple good QB's , strike fear into these rogue agents & their greedy clients !!
JaMarcus isn't worth it, no Rookie has ever been worth that much money, he needs to proove himself
first, I have Zero Respect for him, I hope he gets recycled in next years draft.
and the nerve of my team to ask Culpepper to take a pay cut to sign this fool, Culpepper is a veteran
QB, What does JaMarcus have that nobody else has
Oh Yeah a Contract and Zero NFL Experience.
When did Russell receive the Heisman Trophy? What year did he lead his team to the National Championship? The answer to both of these questions is he didn't. He has raw talent, but is not worth 31 or 35 million in guaranteed money. The question I have about Russell is how much does he currently weigh and what type of conditioning has he been doing. No one has seen him recently which is not a good sign for the Raiders.
who is this jizmarcus russel he hasnt even thrown a pass in the nfl. earlier this year on cold pizza he was sitting with the real number one pick brady quinn, and he said quote " all the other number one picks are stars in the nfl , so I guess ill be a star" well guess what. Hes done nothing Quinn has been showing people who should have been picked first. shame on al davis for not dumping that loser qb and trading for quinn> I have been a raider fan since i was young And will be completely dissapointed if the raiders sign that joke. what a waste. Just Quinn baby.
Can't these guys (the Raiders) do anything right these days. I miss the days of Rich Gannon, Charlie Garner, Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. I really miss those days. AND IT WAS 4 #### YEARS AGO!!!!!!!!
Ryan Leaf is part of the reason that the agents push for the big up-front money. That way if the draft pick busts, the team loses, and player walks away rich for life. It seems incomprehesible that this is allowed to continue. Since the current players are the ones voting on this in the CBA, why has this not been changed already? Its more money in their pockets. This is the dumbest situation I have ever seen. It benefits rookies and agents who have no say in CBA bargaining.
JaMarcus is a clown. I'm a die hard Raider fan and was excited about the Russell draft until he decided to hold out like this. Who does he think he is? The Raiders should recycle this guy and make an example out of him. I believe that Kiffin can coach this team to a winning record without that chump.
if he not worth money then why did raider take him #1,,they knew how much it was going to cost to sign him ,,if they not want to pay him they should have traded #1 pick,,the owners set the market by paying these high bonuses,,they should not cry about it..if you take #1 pick pay for#1 pick
These guys are idiots. If Russell was serious about football he would take what they offer and earn the rest. If he wants it, prove he's worth it. Or is he scared he will be another Ryan Leaf?
all these kids today coming out of college are thugs everything is all about the money show me that u can play at the nfl level not the college level this is a sad situation just play ball it will pay off in the long run..go bears sunday...
Last edited by lbdiddy1 on September 7th at 7:38 PM.
It's time the fans took sports back! Elect me Emperor, and here is my plan:
1. ALL rookies, in ALL major sports, get paid 200K a year for 2 years. Endorsements are up to them.
2. "Journeymen", or career players, get paid 500K a year.
3. "Elite" players- constitute 15% of each team and voted on by the coaches AND fans, get 1M a year and are voted in and out annually.
Now we can all afford sports again and EVERY player has incentive to do his best.
I said it before and will say again....We are gonna be fine and when Russell signs we will be even better. In Kiff I trust and everytime I here his name I take a drink.......Here's to my Hero Kiff......you saved my Raiders Bro. Bottles up!Go Riaders!!!!!
This guy is gonna be a star. You constantly show your lack of support and faith in your team but forget the fact that this guy is gonna be your future qb whether you like it or love......sitting here wondering what some of you would do in this situation. Would you get your #### knocked off with no protection in case your dumb #### cannot play the game no more......huhhh? I mean, let me see you on his d*&^ when he get's busy with the Silver and Black.......have some faith! RaiderMade Out!!!
LOOK, THIS IS HOW I SEE IT. THAT FIRST CONTRACY YOU GET IN THE PROS SHOULD BASICALLY BE FOR WHAT YOU DID IN COLLEGE. SO IF RUSSELL BROUGHT FAME AND BIG SALES TO THE BAYOU, HE SHOULD BE REWARDED. BUT, HES MISSED CAMP SO WHY GUARANTEE HIM 31 MIL? HE SHOULD TAKE WHAT THE RAIDERS OFERED.
I was stoked when they took this # 1. I think he has potential to be the franchise qb for years to come.BUT.. If they new before picking him how much he was asking for and still chose him... That's the Raiders bad. $31 million in gauranteedmoney for someone who basically hasn't accomplished anthing is insane. I do think that there should be structured rookie contracts but since they are not gauranteed you are looking at completely restructuring the bargaining agreement. He should lose money for missing camp and the 1st game of the season just for principle anyway.
The raiders draft the #1 pick they know there's a price for being on top. I think the raiders need to stop trying to deal and take the card they chose. Better yet, Let's make a deal with Atlanta because I know they would love to have a QB such as Jamarcus. They may have a chance of winning some games.
John Czarnecki, a former sportswriter with over 20 years experience covering the NFL, has been the editorial consultant for the Emmy Award-winning FOX NFL Sunday since its 1994 inception. Prior, he provided exclusive information to CBS Sports' The NFL Today program from 1991 to 1993, holding a similar position.
Prior to joining CBS Sports, Czarnecki was a pro football writer for The National Sports Daily (1989-91), The Dallas Morning News (1989), and The Los Angeles Herald-Examin er. An archive of work can be found here.
