With Jason Campbell aboard and rightly believing he will be the Raiders starting quarterback, the only way JaMarcus Russell sticks around is by agreeing to a pay cut _ something he said he wouldn’t do last year.
Russell is due $9.45 million this year but has $3 million guaranteed.
If he were to agree to play and “compete,” accepting only that $3 million, Russell could conceivably stick around.
It would serve as an acknowledgement on Russell’s part that he’s given less than his best and a good faith gesture given his lack of performance.
If Russell says no, he’d still collect his $3 million plus a minimum salary somewhere else.
That’s a gamble, however, if Russell truly wants an NFL career.
If there are no takers and Russell sits out an entire season, he’s done, and Ryan Leaf can step aside as the biggest bust in NFL draft history.