JaMarcus Russell is attempting an NFL comeback after being the biggest bust in NFL draft history.
The biggest bust in NFL history is attempting a comeback.
According to Yahoo Sports, former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell is working out and preparing for a comeback to the NFL after being out of the league since 2009.
Russell is considered to be the worst draft pick in NFL history after being taken No. 1-overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2007. At the time he signed a contract worth $61 million with $32 million guaranteed. Russell made $39 million for his three seasons with the Raiders before being released.
According to Yahoo Sports, Russell is being mentored by former NFL receiver and fellow LSU alumnus Michael Clayton. Russell also will work out at the TEST Football Academy, which has prepared Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, among others, for the NFL draft.
"The last few years, the things going through my life, football is my job, and it is how it feeds my family. People would say [that] I didn't love the game, but that pisses me off," Russell told Yahoo! Sports. "People don't know the real you, but I want people to know the real me and see what I can do. People are always saying that I'm a bust. I want to show them I'm not. I'm committed to this now."
According to the Yahoo report, Russell weighed 320 pounds in the fall, but has dropped to 308 since working on football activities. It also says that he will be working with by former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia on technique, Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk on reading defenses and several other former players, doctors and trainers.
The 27-year-old quarterback came out of LSU, where he went 21-4 as a starter and won MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. While with the Raiders Russell had very little success, winning just seven of 25 starts. He finished his career with 18 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, 15 lost fumbles while completing just 52.1 percent of his passes.
"My first year out, I couldn't watch football but after a while, I couldn't keep the TV off. I got that itchy feeling but now I gotta watch it, gotta watch," Russell said.
Russell has had a number of issues off the field, including substance abuse problems. In July of 2010 he was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, a drink containing codeine syrup, although a grand jury declined to indict him on the charges later that year.
According to the Associated Press, former NBA player John Lucas had been serving as Russell's life coach in late 2010, but the pair severed their relationship in 2011. Russell was profiled in a Sports Illustrated article last year that detailed his issues and his relationship with Lucas.
Yahoo! Sports reported that Russell, trying to make up for his past mistakes, has regularly spoken with youth groups about his arrest and poor decisions he has made.
"I'm not looking for a pat on the shoulder from people who haven't been there for me," Russell told the website. "It feels funny not to go through a training camp, that's just what I'm used to. It's going to feel good to go back out there again. I will make this happen."
As a rookie, Russell held out through the first week of the NFL season before signing his massive contract. The franchise had a string of losing seasons while he was quarterback of the team and when Russell was set to receive a $9.45 million salary in 2010, the Raiders released him.
Russell and quarterback Ryan Leaf are considered to be the two biggest draft busts of all-time. Leaf was the No. 2-overall pick behind Peyton Manning in 1999 and washed out of the league in a few years.
The Chargers were set back a number of years after his failure and he finished his career with just 3,666 yards passing with 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. The choice between Leaf and Manning is now looked at as legendary as the Colts opted to pick the Tennessee quarterback.
Although Russell has been out of the league for many years, there's a chance a team could take a flyer on him as a backup or practice squad player. The last sniff of NFL experience for the quarterback came with tryouts with the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins in 2010.
Some teams that could be interested include the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills.
The Cardinals split time between three ineffective quarterbacks with John Skelton, Ryan Lindley and Kevin Kolb, while the Jets had problems with start Mark Sanchez and backup Tim Tebow. The Chiefs could be looking for a new quarterback after brining in new coach Andy Reid, while the Bills may be fed up with the poor play of Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Even if Russell does get in better shape, he will have to prove to NFL teams he has matured and that he can handle and offense. This could be his last chance to shed the moniker of worst draft pick in NFL history.
