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Quit it. No rookie deserves guaranteed money paid in full over the first two years of the contract. He is an unproven commodity. Al Davis is correct that Russell needes to be held accountable for his actions if he is disciplined by the league. The team needs to recoup that mooney to protect the franchise. This entire situation is silly and his agents are to blame.

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Your sources are sauces - trying to add a taste to something that is something altogether different. Al Davis has spoken that it's the option bonus. End of story. The last word you'd ever trust is that of a snake-oil maverick agent trying to cement the deal of a lifetime.

In fact, Metz has not once made a public statement, yet is obviously happy to spread around all this disinformation and lies to various journalists purely to besmirch the good reputation of Al Davis.

All of the first round draft picks that have signed have done so without option bonuses. It's simply a matter of 2+2+2 here given this fact, given what Al has said is the problem, and the continued holdout of Russell.

Al Davis has had an impeccable history with signings, and an impeccable history with being generous in the money he offers. He's not a tight-ass. He's gotten everyone else drafted signed this year bar Russell. That would indicate that the problem is Russell and Metz, not Al and the Raiders negotiators.

At what point does a journalist like yourself actually stop and think things thru before allowing tripe to pass thru with some sort of official stamp of 'fact'? You should be ashamed of yourself.

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This may be a little naive, but we're at the verge of the first pre-seaon game - at this point doesn't Russell's value go down?

Davis did the right thing by bringing in Culpepper, so we at least have a viable option at QB. It's the O-line that I still worry about.

But, with Russell holding out for what is tantamount to a few million guaranteed, isn't he (or Metz really) playing a dangerous game with his client's career?

What happens to him when Davis doesn't give in and the regular season starts?

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Al Davis is right on the money..again..rookies desreve nothing special until they prove themselves..on the field..besides..the Raider Nation now has Culpepper...a proven gladiator

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Al Davis has been about as generous and player-friendly as an owner can be, especially considering most of the franchise's years being spent in a small-market town. I'm so sick of players who would not even dream of this type of money except for hyperactive pituitary glands and their "wanna-be-king" agents. Let him sit out forever as far as I am concerned. I am sure he will make about 99% of the yearly salary he would get from football in his other "chosen profession", whatever that may be. LOL.

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This is ridiculous nobody gets $30 million guaranteed, nobody. Russell is an unproven rookie who could flop at any time why should Davis give in, he isnt the one with something to lose he has virtually the same quarterback in Cullpepper

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Wow... all these posters are dead on. A firm stand by the Raiders is the right thing to do. To sign Russell before the draft only to have an unhappy rookie after seeing the contracts of number 2 & 3 is definitely a stupid way to approach it. This rookie's agent is blowing it for his client. That's all we need is another guy who gets paid who isn't worth his salt. Take the offer, get paid, then sign for the motherlode when your extention comes up. Prove yourself. Wake up Mr. Smith and look at more than one perspective before setting your committing your flimsy conclusions to writing.

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FoxSports is reporting the Russell has been offered $30 million in guaranteed money but that his agent is holding out for $35 million. I say no way, $30 million is more than fair amount over what last year's number 1 received. Things have gotten ugly with this contract holdout, Russell had better wake up a smell the coffee, this holdout is going to cost him. It has already in terms of preparation. He may have just blew off his rookie year. At this point, if I were the Raiders I would not budge off of $30 million, if he wants to sit out a year and see what the market can provide to him, go ahead but he would be making a monumental blunder. This is not the way a rookie should start his NFL career. If I were the Raiders, I would start taking $1 million in guaranteed money off the table for each week he holds out.

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Davis should take $1,000,000 of bonus off the table per week. If the guy doesn't want to sign, let him sit out all next year. He will never go #1 and he will lose not only a years salary but about 15-25 millon bonus. If he signs right before the regular season, let his line let the D through and see what it is like to get pounded. So what if he gets beat up. He misses all of camp, he is worthless this year anyway. Al is 100% right on this matter. Russell is a punk.

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THE ISSUE OF WEATHER A ROOKIE SHOULD RECIEVE THAT KIND OF MONEY IS IRREVELENT, THEY DO. THE RAIDERS SHOULD PAY THE PREVAILING WAGE FOR THIER DRAFT CHOICE OR TRADE THE PICK.

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The reaction of Raider fans is laughable but also expected. Fans are homers and will always blame anyone else but their own organization. Davis is trying to make a statement and change a contract clause that has been included in the contracts for #1 players for the last 15 years straight. Whether he likes the direction of #1 contracts and guaranteed $ or not, it is what the market bears and he was told not to draft Russell if this was his intent.

You would be in the same position with Calvin Johnson and calling him a loser if he had been picked first. Before you guys run off at the mouth and look like idiots, go check Calvin Johnson's contract, or Williams from last year. They all get the same guarantees, but Davis thinks Russell does not deserve this.

It's a pity that you fans can't see that there are NO reporters in the country that agree with Davis' supposed position, and actually blame Russell. In typical Davis fashion, of "screw the establishment", he will continue to send your team down the toilet by THROWING AWAY the #1 pick in the draft.

Russell will play somewhere next year and I hope it's not for a bunch of flaming idiots like the raider fans you read online. None of my raider friends echo your sentiments but instead realize the the Raiders stunk it up last year, will stink it up this year, and will feel the pain of pissing this opportunity away for years. I hope it burns like Hell every time Russell beats you while playing for another team.

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To be honest, I am a huge Raiders fan, and although I do agree with the fact that NO unproven rookie deserves such an extreme amount of money in a signing bonus, it is the nature of the beast. The contract for a #1 draft pick clearly outlines this.

Once again, the head office thinks they can cut corners by getting some over-the-hill injury prone team hopping bum to take the snaps as if it's going to get them around taking a young, up-and-coming franchise QB. The problem is that plan backfires way more often than it pays off. Look at Brooks, look at Collins, look at Jeff George. True Rich Gannon was great, but that's not enough of a reason to keep doing this the way we have. It's time to put our resources into conditioning a star QB instead of picking up the leftovers of the NFL.

One of the worst things we do as an organization is get a star QB and then don't work with the kid enough to make him worthwhile. We get guys like Andrew Walter, Marques Tuiasasopo and then bench them all year while we put some old fart on the field to throw interceptions and get sacked repeatedly for not being able to get rid of the rock fast enough. Then when we put them in the game and they perform poorly due to lack of experience, we cut them down, cut them loose, and write them off as unimpressive.

We need to stop expecting the young guys to come in and be superheros without putting the extra time into their careers, and we need to stop fishing for the quick payoff. You can't turn a 2-14 team into a superbowl team in one off season without an act of God himself, so don't try. And don't start firing the coaches and the players when they have a rough year. That's what's gotten us into this funk in the first place.

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Wow, I'm surprised most are siding with the Raiders and Davis, but glad. I don't trust anything that Jason Cole reports any more after the Reggie Bush mis-information that he put out last year

From:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-bush072106&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

"No. 2 overall pick and Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush not only appears headed for a contract holdout with the New Orleans Saints, but he is also toying with the idea of sitting out the entire season, a league source said."

Reggie signed after missing the first day or two of camp, about a week after this was published. So don't put any stock in what this guy claims.

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I love that a team that lost 14 of 16 games gets to call the shots against a guy who laid waste to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl last year. This is the same shortsighted nonsense that has ridden this once legendary franchise (Bo knows) into nothing, how many quarterbacks do you have to waste before you realize that you are not taking care of your key guys, wake up and pay a superstar, everyone else is.

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Al Davis is the boss of the Raiders and he will not give in to JaMarcus Russell's demands. Just hold out JaMarcus.

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JaMarcus Russell is being offered $30 million dollars and that isn't enough? And people actually support him holding out for more? I wonder how much they make! When is enough, enough? Wow! If he is that good, he'll make more in endorsements. His agent is costing him, the team (who rightfully drafted him) and the fans that will ultimately pay this outrageous salary. Trade him to Atlanta.

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Russell needs to get on the field and prove himself....Brady Quinn did that today with two fantastic TD drives late in the game for the Browns.

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It amazes me that the Raiders organizition is potentially destroying itself by allowing this long, drawn-out Jamarus Russell hold out to continue. It's really simple--PAY THE MAN! He's the number one pick of the draft. He plays a position that has a premium placed on it. He has proven himself on the field, although it's been at the college level, and off the field. Al Davis, who is a great visionary,has lost his mind. He's trying to add a clause in the contract that generally states that if Jamarcus is bust, the Raiders have the right to get back some of or all of the bounus money. DID HE HAVE A CLAUSE LIKE THAT FOR ROBERT GALLERY'S CONTRACT? Look, if the third oveall pick received 24 million in garanteed and the second overall pick got 27 million, should Jamarcus get 30 million?

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