Is JaMarcus Russell insane?

Question

What's his deal? Is he trying to become the second coming of Maurice Clarett? What's he doing now, living at home? What kind of income is he getting? The Raiders have offered him $5 million more in incentives than Mario Williams last year, yet he still won't take it.

Anyone else think this guy is finito?

Answer 1

Ok last thing I read wasnt about the overall total of the contract(which was just what Russells agent asked for) but they wanted 31 mil guarenteed...when the Raiders put that on the table Russell bumped it up to 35 mil. As for the previous poster that said the guarenteed money has been around for years...your right but the Raiders are trying to add a clause this year that alot of teams will be going with where if the player gets suspended for conduct they can recoup some of the guarenteed money back. I dont blame Davis for wanting that clause...imagine giving a kid that hasnt played a snap of professional ball 31 mil then he goes out and does something stupid ( pulls a Vic/Pacman) and gets suspended for a year or longer. Rookies dont deserve this kind of money to begin with but if your going to pay them it make them responsible for their actions off field too so your not paying someone multimillions for sitting at home with their feet up.

Answer 2

I think he missed the boat once Culpepper started playing so well and showing he still has his mobility. He's signed onto the Raider's program and he still has enough years left in him to be their franchise QB. If Russell had signed first, or signed before Culpepper got so much playtime, then his value to the club would have still been high. The more Culpepper does well now, the less the Raiders will need Russell and the less likely they are to pay him huge money.

That being said, the smart thing to do now would be to sign and study under Culpepper, who's a very similar QB athletically, and could really help Russell make the NFL transition and learn how to be successful, and when he eventually moves up to start, the system in place will already be suited for his talents and he'll be set to go.

If he walks on the Raiders this year he'll just end up somewhere like Atlanta or maybe Tampa Bay, another crap team with a crap line and a huge hole at QB where he'll be worse off than in Oakland.

Answer 3

Not insane. Just spoiled and Delusional.

And really the only similiarity between him and Clarrett is that they are both getting horrible advice from people close to them.

Best thing could happen, would be no deal gets signed, and by next year no one remembers who he is anyhow.

He has raw ability, but he is way overated, and as Vick, and Clarett have both shown, talent can only get you so far.

*my solution.....for every week the chump holds out in the regular season, subtract a cool million from the offer sheet. He already was gonna be paid to do nothing this year. So show him that the Team is still the boss.

Better yet in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, set a standard rookie wage scale, then allow them to earn the big bucks, instead of giving the Next Akili Smith as much money as Tom Brady (who has been willing to lose money from contracts to help the Team....guys like him and McNair are the class acts of the NFL). The sooner they stop paying rookies crazy money, the better.

Answer 4

hes a QB..which deserves more money then a DE. also hes a year later, which always gets more money (atleast most of the time) thne last years no1. pick. and do you not know what the raiders are overall doing with the contract? they are putting most of the guaranteed money in the 4th/5th year of the contract. all other contracts from the first pick put a few in year 1, a good bit in 2, and alot in year 3-this is because most no1 picks redo their deal after year 3 becuase they'd make more money+what they have already made in guarantees. knowing taht,the raiders are making it so jamarucs will never see the money he was guaranteed. also if he sucks in year 2&3, he could be cut so he would there so no money aswell. the raiders are trying to cheat him out of money that everyone else gets. russell/his agent are doing exactly what they should-hold out until they get the money they deserve. hes not asking for 10 mil a year, he's asking for probably 3 a year for the first 3 years on average, plus guaranteed money (probably 10 a year) and the raiders are giving probably about 2. its all the side works of the contract-otherwise he woulda been signed by now.

Answer 5

I feel for JaMarcus I really do...all the kid wants is his fair shake and the Raiders have jerked and jerked him around and are playing hardball...and they are winning. Right now JaMarcus feels like he the Raiders are trying to screw him and I don't blame him for not wanting to play for them...but as you all said what's better sitting at home while your stock plummets or signing a deal where you will get paid but won't get your fair value.

But that said the Raiders are 100 percent to blame in this situation. The Raiders had months upon months to negotiate contracts with anyone they chose in the NFL Draft. They could have selected Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, or anyone else for that matter and they could've negotiated contracts with all five of the top players in the draft to see who they could have gotten the best deal finacially on. Another option is they could've traded down and got multiple players to help this joke of a football team. Instead they picked Russell w/o negotiating and expect him to take the same deal Mario Williams got w/o the skill gaurantee.

For your information the gauranteed money due to injury or regardless has been in every first round picks contracts since around 1994 when the salary cap came into effect. Not first overall pick...first round picks. He would be crazy to sign the deal because essientally he would be signing a first of its kind deal that protects the team and gives hardly any protection to the player... Also the Raiders have played numerous games trying to backload his gauranteed money to the last year of his deal, so if he does do well and wants an extension he would have to forfeit much of his gauranteed money.

Now some will say that Russell wants too much money. And that he will be making alot more then a lot of veterans. Well that is the price your supposed to pay for a franchise quarterback. Quarterbacks generally make more than runningbacks, defensive ends, or anyone else for that matter. So of course the asking price is going to be more. Also with the new salary cap increases that went into effect this year players are getting a lot more money; that is why you see alot of players opting for free agency. That is why mediocre players were signing 6 year 30million dollar deals. Thats why Nate Clements who is a good border line great corner got nearly 60 million for a 6 year deal with the niners. Salary cap increases, so do players salaries. You pick a franchise quarterback you have to expect to pay franchise quarterback money. So of course he wants more than Mario Williams. The fact that they are offering 3 million more than Mario isn't what's bothering Russell and his agents. Its the structure of the contract and the way the Raiders are trying to screw this kid out of his gauranteed money that he deserves for being the number one pick. And really the Raiders are just screwing themselves because they could have gotten a lot more value from this pick than what they are getting now...nothing.

The only people the Raiders can blame are themselves. The now have a few options. Wait and hope he signs. Give him the gauranteed money he wants. Or they can trade him to another team. Or if JaMarcus decides not to sign he can sit the year and re-enter the draft.

I wouldn't be surprised if J. Russell doesn't sign period and goes back into the draft next year. But he would essientally screw himself anyway because he would be the third or fourth QB taken next year. I think the Raiders are going to win and this kid is going to get a very unfair deal for a Franchise QB.

Answer 6

This is the Raiders' fault... they knew what he was going to want and they drafted him anyway. He deserves much more than Mario Williams because we're talking about a QB vs a defensive end that no one had heard of two weeks before the draft last year. The Texans picked Williams because they knew they couldn't afford Reggie Bush. Russell was the consensus #1 pick from day one, so he deserves every dime he can get.

Answer 7

This is why I hate sports agents. They also give the players a bad name. Sports is now about individual players instead of team. Players have become too greedy. It's not that much fun to watch anymore, because the greed has killed the quality of the game. Players want to get paid before they have proven anything. And when they do and they SUCK, the players that do play well don't get the pay they deserve.
The clause in the contracts never made sense to me. "I want to get paid now because I may suck and you may not pay me then". What kind of reasoning is that? Players tend not to try as hard when they're already awarded for something they haven't done yet. I seriously think all pro sports should rid all greedy athletes, let them go on strike and recruit new players. Maximum pay for each player is a million dollars until proven otherwise. The sport may suffer a bit, but at least it'll get back up eventually. At this current rate, I think too many ppl will get frustrated with sports and it will die altogether - though it will still take time. I for one are sick of these greedy athletes and agents. Players should remember that it's a PRIVILEGE to play professional sports and not take it for granted.

Answer 8

Yeah, this is a weird situation. Very puzzling. JR's agents told the Raiders what they wanted before they drafted him and told them not to draft him if they could not meet the bonus requirements. yet the Raiders drafted him anyway and the season starts next week. Al Davis has a long memory and he benched Marcus Allen and Steve Buerlien, so I don't see JR getting on the Raider field anytime soon

Answer 9

I think this guy would be finito the second he steps under center for the Oakland Raiders. With their o-line in the terrible shape that it is in, I think Russel would be much better off somewhere else. If I were him, I would push a trade to the now Vick-less, but still talented, Atlanta Falcons. I'm sure Atlanta would part with some fairly valuable assets to pick up a talent like Russell.

Answer 10

I don't think what he's doing is a good idea for him. But the Raiders are effing stupid if they didn't see this coming. Also I still don't know why Russell was the #1 pick. I never heard his name mentioned once, till they beat Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl (like we didn't know that was gonna happen anyway).
Russell is well on his way to bustville, just stay off the drugs "marinovich"