It's never really over until the fat former first-overall pick sings. But it looks like it's really over between JaMarcus Russell and the Oakland Raiders.
ESPN is reporting that the Raiders are just working on the termination papers at this point. "It is not a matter of if, but when Russell will be cut," NFL scoop John Clayton said Tuesday on "NFL Live", in an episode that well be rebroadcast Tuesday evening so Raiders fans can watch it over and over and pinch themselves to confirm they're not dreaming.
The Raiders haven't commented on this, but the writing is on the wall. The Raiders grabbed starting quarterback Jason Campbell in a trade with the Redskins this weekend, in exchange for a fourth round pick in 2012.
The Raiders now have five quarterbacks on the roster. JaMarcus is by far the highest paid of them, with close to a $10 million salary for 2010 that nearly triples Jason Campbell's 2010 salary. Gradkowski's getting $1.6 mil, Charlie Frye gets $1.2 mil, and Kyle Boller is in league minimum territory.
Yet JaMarcus has by far the lowest quarterback rating of the bunch. His 2009 season rating of 50.0 is more than a full ten points behind Boller, and more than 27 points behind Jason Campbell.
Then came a National Football Post report that JaMarcus has, in fact, hit 300 pounds. Now that's just an internet report. But not one Raider, friend, or associate has denied this.
So it appears JaMarcus Russell won't be playing in Oakland anymore, unless he learns the trombone and joins Tower of Power.
Sports
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who would recommend to JaMarcus Russell a career switch to a Mardi Gras-themed professional wrestling character.
