JaMarcus Russell, Raiders No Closer to Deal

Michael David SmithPosted Aug 18th 2007 11:01AM by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Oakland Raiders, NFL Draft, Oakland

The Oakland Raiders wrapped up training camp Friday, meaning rookie quarterback JaMarcus Russell has now become the first No. 1 overall pick to miss all of training camp since Rams tackle Orlando Pace in 1997.

So when will JaMarcus Russell sign with the Oakland Raiders? Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports that if the parties would agree to lock themselves in a room for 48 hours and hammer out the details, they could do it. But they simply don't want to talk.

I asked a couple of league sources their opinion about the JaMarcus Russell negotiations. Neither of them have specific knowledge of what has happened behind closed doors between the Oakland Raiders' front office and JaMarcus Russell's representatives, but both are knowledgeable about the way rookie contract negotiations work in the NFL. Both of them think there's a good chance JaMarcus Russell will still be unsigned when the Oakland Raiders start the regular season Sept. 9.

However, everyone seems to agree that JaMarcus Russell will sign eventually -- it just wouldn't make sense for him to sit out the entire season, enter the 2008 draft, and hope he's the No. 1 overall pick again. That indicates the Oakland Raiders have more leverage than JaMarcus Russell, but that doesn't mean JaMarcus Russell will cave in any time soon.

 

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