When I heard that Jason Campbell had been traded to the Oakland Raiders, I had hoped he was going to earn himself the starting job for his new team. Yesterday it was decided that task became a bit easier as the Oakland Raiders have cut JaMarcus Russell.
The seven wins JaMarcus Russell lead the Oakland Raiders to in the past three seasons since he was drafted first overall were deemed not enough to warrant the $36.4 million dollars he earned over that span of time. He is still owed $3 by the Raiders, but Al Davis seems to think the team is better off without him.
Former Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin is reported to have wanted to draft someone else with the #1 overall pick in 2007, and it appears that Al Davis and the rest of the Oakland Raiders organization should’ve listened to him. If they had, maybe Lane Kiffin would be coaching for the silver and black in southern California instead of the USC Trojans.
It’s tough to say whether or not JaMarcus Russell is the biggest bust in NFL Draft history. Time will tell as he searches for a new opportunity with a different team. Chances are that he will never live up to even half of the expectations he had when he entered the league from LSU and will always be mentioned in the same breath with Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith and other failed top draft picks.
I have to list him as the biggest bust based on how much money he got paid. Ryan Leaf had the crown, but yesterday it got handed off.
Hopefully Jamarcus can land somewhere as a serviceable backup and maybe show he has some ability.