No, not Peyton Manning. Jason Campbell. Duh.
The seven-year pro has had a rough past couple of years. In 2010, his first season with the Oakland Raiders, Campbell was benched in favor of backup Bruce Gradkowski after just one-and-a-half games. Campbell was reinstated as the starter a few games later and finished out the season—in part because of an injury that Gradkowski suffered.
Despite guiding the team to its first non-losing record since 2002, Campbell did not exactly have the backing of then-coach Tom Cable. But when Cable was fired and Hue Jackson was hired to replace him, Campbell’s future as the Raiders starter looked a bit more secure and solidified.
Fast forward to Week 6 of the 2011 NFL season, when Campbell suffered a severe fracture of his right clavicle. Not surprisingly, he did not play another down for the rest of the year.
Worse, however, than a broken collarbone on Campbell’s throwing side was the Raiders trade for the semi-retired Carson Palmer. A former protégé of coach Jackson while with the Cincinnati Bengals, Palmer was firmly named the No. 1 starter for the remainder of the Raiders season.
Jackson rested Oakland’s playoff hopes squarely on the shoulders of Palmer, a clear sign that Campbell would quickly and soon be forgotten were he ever to return to full strength. As such, despite having guided the Raiders to a solid 4-2 start to the season, Campbell became the invisible man in Oakland.
After two seasons of not exactly warm hospitality from the Raiders franchise, Campbell embarks on this offseason as a free agent searching for a new home.
Given his injury last year, one can onl...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
