According to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Raiders and Russell recently agreed on a settlement over his rookie contract that will award the former No. 1 overall pick nearly $3 million.
Both sides had previously filed grievances over the six-year, $68 million deal, with the Raiders looking to recoup nearly $10 million in salary advances and Russell attempting to get the full value of his guaranteed money. A settlement was reached before the case went to court.
Over six years after the Raiders took Russell with the top pick, the two parties can now officially go their separate ways. And while Oakland may never be able to wash its hands of the historic draft bust Russell became, the franchise can finally rid itself of the remaining ties to such a disastrous situation.
The Raiders paid Russell roughly $40 million (now including the $3 million settlement), but received just three years of service in return. From 2007-09, Russell started 25 games—winning just seven—and threw 18 touchdowns against 23 interceptions.
By the 2009 season, his third in the NFL, Russell had lost his starting job. His passer rating sunk to an NFL-low 50.0 as the Raiders started 2-7.
The next offseason, Oakland traded for Jason Campbell and officially waived Russell, who had developed weight and conditioning problems. He's been out of the NFL ever since.
Since 2007, the Raiders have won just 34 games, or an average of roughly 5.5 a season. Bad decisions littered the franchise both before and after Russell, but no one player embodies the fall of the Raiders franchise better than Russell.
While the Raiders will now pay Russell more money in this settlement than...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
