by Chris Palmer

Created on: September 05, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

JaMarcus Russell should ABSOLUTELY hold out for as much money as he can get from the Oakland Raiders, and at this point he will deserve every penny of it. Why? I'll tell you.

First and foremost, have you taken a look at the Raider franchise lately? There's not much good to report. In a period of five years they've gone from a team that was in contention to be in the Super Bowl every year (and should have gone at least once more than they did) to a team that's become the laughing stock of the NFL. And as we've seen in the past, what happens to a team who has a swift fall from grace? They end up with the top pick in the NFL Draft.

The Raiders need someone who can bring some excitement to their team, and JaMarcus Russell can do that. Let's face facts here, people- the Raiders, as they are, are not going to do much of anything for at least this year and quite possibly the next two or three. Lane Kiffin's first year as head coach is probably going to be his only year as head man in Oakland. Their offense is horrible, their defense is sketchy, and their overall running of the team leaves a LOT to be desired. Their play "earned" them the #1 pick in last year's draft, and they chose someone who can at least bring some sort of interest back to the Raider fandom.

Yes, JaMarcus Russell is not an explosive player like Reggie Bush or a work in progress like Mario Williams. But why does that automatically disqualify him from expecting a big contract? After all, HE WAS THE TOP PICK IN THE DRAFT IN 2007! Don't top picks necessarily deserve a top line salary?

And say the Raiders aren't able to get Russell signed. Who's to say he won't try to catch on with another team, get the starting job, and do well in said starting job?

I find it laughable that the Raiders have been willing to spend money on overpriced, overrated players (Larry Brown, Desmond Howard, Warren Sapp) that do virtually nothing for the team, yet aren't willing to open their checkbooks for a player who might actually bring optimism to McAfee Coliseum this year. Daunte Culpepper's been injured too many times in the last five seasons, and this writer would be surprised to see him make it through an entire season healthy. Andrew Walter is unproven at best and mediocre at worst. Using those two examples, isn't it almost a guarantee that Russell will be playing for the Raiders at some point in the 2007 season once they sign him (which, according to certain sources like the San Jose Mercury News, is almost now certain)?

If the Raiders don't manage to get a contract signed, it'll be the biggest mistake they made. Russell will play in the NFL regardless. Oakland's best hope is that it happen with them. It has to.

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