JaMarcus Russell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
JaMarcus Russell

Russell with the Oakland Raiders in 2008
No. 2
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1985-08-09) August 9, 1985 (age 39) Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:	265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school:	Williamson (Mobile)
College:	LSU (2003–2006)
NFL Draft:	2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2007–2009)
Career highlights and awards
BCS national champion (2003) Manning Award (2006) First-team All-SEC (2006)
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts: 680 Passing completions: 354 Completion percentage: 52.1% TD–INT: 18–23 Passing yards: 4,083 Passer rating: 65.2
Player stats at PFR

JaMarcus Trenell Russell (born August 9, 1985) is an American former professional football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons. He was with the Oakland Raiders.

Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers. As a junior, he won the Manning Award. He was also named the most valuable player of the 2007 Sugar Bowl.

The Raiders picked Russell first overall in the 2007 NFL draft. However, his time with the team was difficult. He had inconsistent play and faced questions about his effort. He was released from Oakland in 2010. Even though he tried to return to the NFL, he could not sign with another team. Many people consider him one of the NFL's biggest draft busts. This is because he did not meet expectations as the first pick and had a short career.

Early Life and High School Football

JaMarcus Russell was born in Mobile, Alabama. He went to Lillie B. Williamson High School. He was the starting quarterback for all four years. He never missed a football game.

In his first year, Russell threw for 2,683 yards and 20 touchdowns. His team reached the state championship game. By his second year, Russell was taller and stronger. He threw for 2,616 yards and 20 touchdowns. He led his team to the semifinals.

Russell's best season was his senior year. He threw for 3,332 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also ran for 400 yards and five touchdowns. He earned honors from Parade magazine. His career total of 10,774 passing yards set a new record for Alabama high schools. This record still stands today.

Russell was also featured in an ESPN story about high school sports in Mobile. He played basketball and threw the javelin in track and field.

College Football Career

Starting at LSU

In February 2003, JaMarcus Russell decided to play for Louisiana State University (LSU). He chose LSU over Florida State University. He was a highly rated recruit.

He did not play in his first year, which is called a redshirt year. By the fall of 2005, Russell became the starting quarterback. He led the LSU Tigers to a great season with 10 wins and only 1 loss. They won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Western Division title. Russell completed 60 percent of his passes. He threw for 2,443 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was recognized on the All-SEC Team.

Russell helped the Tigers win two games by coming from behind. In one game, he threw a 39-yard pass for a touchdown in the last minute. This helped LSU beat Arizona State 35–31. Later, LSU beat an undefeated Alabama team 16–13 in overtime. Russell threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to win that game.

Russell hurt his shoulder in a game against Georgia. He missed the team's bowl game. Backup quarterback Matt Flynn played instead. LSU won the Peach Bowl game 40–3 against Miami.

Junior Season Success

Russell was the starting quarterback again in 2006. He played better than Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux. He changed his jersey number from 4 to 2. He had a very good season. He led the Tigers to a 10–2 record. They earned a spot in the BCS Sugar Bowl. He threw for 3,129 yards, 28 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He was second in the SEC for total yards. Russell also won the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award three times.

In a game against Tennessee, Russell started poorly. He threw three interceptions. But he then led LSU on a long comeback drive. He threw a touchdown pass with less than 10 seconds left. LSU won the game 28–24.

In the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Russell played amazingly. He had over 350 yards from passing and rushing. He scored three touchdowns. LSU won 41–14 against Notre Dame. He was named the Sugar Bowl MVP for his great performance.

At the end of the 2006 season, Russell was named to the All-SEC first-team. On January 10, 2007, Russell decided to enter the 2007 NFL Draft. He chose to skip his final year of college eligibility.

College Statistics

College Awards

• Columbus Touchdown Club SEC Player of the Year (2005)
• 4× SEC Offensive Player of the Week (1 in 2005, 3 in 2006)
• First-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and SEC coaches (2006)
• Manning Award (2006)
• Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist (2006)

Professional Football Career

Joining the Oakland Raiders

Experts like John Clayton from ESPN were very impressed with Russell. They noted his strong arm and large size at the 2007 NFL Scouting Combine. Many thought it would be hard for teams to pass on him as the first pick. Russell himself said he was always bigger than other kids. He could throw the ball a long way. Cleveland Browns General Manager Phil Savage called his talent "substantial." He said Russell was a rare mix of size and arm strength.

The Oakland Raiders chose Russell as the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was one of four LSU players picked in the first round.

Some people, like former general manager Matt Millen, warned the Raiders not to draft Russell. Raiders coach Lane Kiffin also said he wanted to draft Calvin Johnson instead.

2007 NFL Season

Russell did not sign his contract right away. He missed training camp and the first week of the 2007 NFL season. On September 12, he signed a six-year contract. It was worth up to $68 million, with $31.5 million guaranteed. Raiders coach Lane Kiffin did not make him the starting quarterback right away. He said Russell needed more time to learn because he missed camp.

Russell played his first professional game on December 2, 2007. It was against the Denver Broncos. He came into the game in the second quarter. He completed 4 of 7 passes for 56 yards. On December 23, he threw his first touchdown pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He finished that game with one touchdown, three interceptions, and a lost fumble.

Russell started his first NFL game in the last game of the season. It was against the San Diego Chargers. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. These mistakes led to 17 points for the Chargers. He completed 23 of 31 passes for 224 yards and one touchdown. After this game, Coach Kiffin named him the starting quarterback for the 2008 season.

2008 NFL Season

Russell (#2) taking the snap versus the Atlanta Falcons.

Russell started the first game of the 2008 season against the Denver Broncos. The Raiders lost 41–14. Russell threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns. In the next game, the Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs 23–8. Russell threw for 55 yards.

In Week 7, the Raiders beat the New York Jets 16–13 in overtime. This win ended their four-game home losing streak. Russell completed 17 of 30 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown. This was Coach Tom Cable's first win as Raiders head coach. Russell led the team down the field to set up the game-winning field goal.

The Raiders then lost four games in a row. A week later, Russell led the Raiders to a 31–10 win against Denver. He completed 10 of 11 passes for 152 yards and one touchdown.

Russell finished the 2008 season by winning two games in a row. These wins were against the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In those last three games, Russell threw for six touchdowns and two interceptions.

2009 NFL Season and Release

In August 2009, Russell was named the starting quarterback for the Raiders. In a Week 5 loss to the New York Giants, Russell lost three fumbles and threw for 100 yards. After a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in November, Coach Tom Cable decided to bench Russell. He chose Bruce Gradkowski to start instead.

Gradkowski led two exciting comeback wins in the next two weeks. He upset the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. He threw five touchdown passes. When Gradkowski got hurt, Russell finished the game against the Washington Redskins. The Raiders lost that game. After this, Coach Cable decided to start Charlie Frye instead of Russell. This moved Russell to third on the team's quarterback list. When Frye got hurt, Russell played near the end of a game that the Raiders won.

Russell finished the 2009 season with some of the lowest stats among NFL quarterbacks. He had the lowest quarterback rating, lowest completion percentage, and fewest passing touchdowns and yards.

In March 2010, reports said Russell was overweight. He was criticized for not being in good shape. By April, he was reported to weigh 300 pounds. However, a reporter from the Oakland Tribune said Russell looked good at mini-camp. Russell said he would keep working hard to compete for the starting job.

The Raiders then traded for quarterback Jason Campbell. This meant the team had five quarterbacks. On May 6, 2010, the Raiders released JaMarcus Russell.

The Raiders later asked Russell to pay back $9.55 million. They said this was money paid as salary advances. Russell's agent said the money was guaranteed. Russell then asked the Raiders for $9 million more. In 2013, they settled the issue. The Raiders paid Russell an extra $3 million.

After the NFL

After being released, JaMarcus Russell tried to return to the NFL. New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said it was "newsworthy" when a high draft pick is released so soon. He said players like Russell often get second chances. However, Russell never played in another NFL game. This was partly due to concerns about his work ethic.

In 2010, Russell moved to Houston, Texas. He worked out with former NBA player and coach John Lucas. Lucas also helped him as a life coach. Russell had a workout with the Washington Redskins in November 2010, but they did not sign him. He also worked out for the Miami Dolphins, but they signed another quarterback. In 2011, Lucas became frustrated with Russell's work ethic. He reportedly stopped working with Russell.

In 2013, Russell said he wanted to return to the NFL. He trained with other NFL players and an Olympian. His comeback attempt was shown in a series by Bleacher Report. In May 2013, it was reported that Russell had returned to his rookie weight of 265 pounds. The Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens showed some interest. Russell tried out for the Bears in June 2013. Reports said he had a "solid" performance. However, the Bears did not sign him. They said they did not want a fourth quarterback. They later signed two other quarterbacks who tried out with Russell.

In April 2016, Russell told Sports Illustrated that he wrote letters to all 32 NFL teams. He asked for a tryout and offered to play one year for free. No team responded to his letters.

Impact on the NFL

Many sports experts consider JaMarcus Russell to be one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history. The Huffington Post named him one of the 13 biggest draft busts of the 2000s. ESPN's Bill Williamson called him a "talented but extremely disappointing" quarterback.

In 2009, Russell's passer rating was 50.0. This was the lowest rating by a starting quarterback in the NFL since 1998. His final stats with the Raiders included a 52.1% pass completion rate. He had 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He also fumbled the ball 25 times, losing 15 of them.

For several years after Russell was released, no Oakland Raiders player wore his #2 jersey number. In 2011, new quarterback Terrelle Pryor asked to wear #2. But then-coach Hue Jackson said no. This was to avoid comparisons to Russell. However, in 2013, Raiders coach Dennis Allen allowed Pryor to wear #2.

In June 2022, Russell wrote an essay for The Players Tribune. It was titled "Y'all Don't Know a ... Thing About Jamarcus Russell."

NFL Career Statistics

Personal Life

JaMarcus Russell's uncle, Ray Ray Russell, was a popular DJ and radio host in Mobile, Alabama. He passed away in 2009. Russell later said he did not have time to properly grieve his uncle's death. He never told the Raiders about his sadness during his difficult 2009 season.

After Hurricane Katrina, Russell helped many people. He let about a dozen people who fled the flooding in New Orleans stay in his apartment. This included the famous singer Fats Domino.

Images for kids

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  Russell with the Oakland Raiders in 2008

See also

In Spanish: JaMarcus Russell para niños