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POSTED 5:26 p.m. EDT, August 6, 2007
RAIDERS OFFER MORE THAN $30 MILLION GUARANTEED
A league source tells us that the Oakland Raiders have offered quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, a six-year contract containing more than $30 million in guaranteed money. The actual number could be closer to $31 million than it is to $30 million.
This information is contrary to reports that the Raiders have topped out at a lower number.
We're also told that the Russell camp presently is looking for guaranteed money in the neighborhood of $35 million.
Though we don't know how such a package could be put together in light of practical restrictions such as the rookie pool and the 25-percent rule, we're told that Russell's agents believe that their proposed structure would allow an amount of that magnitude to be guaranteed, and would likewise survive scrutiny of the management council.
Other obstacles remain, including the extent to which the guaranteed money will be paid out in the form of an option bonus. But the present gap in guaranteed money is wider than previously believed, and unless Russell's side of the table drops its number significantly, this one isn't getting done any time soon.
Our guess is that the Raiders believed that the Russell camp was demanding amounts in the neighborhood of $35 million guaranteed in order to get the team to go north of $30 million, and that the Raiders planned to do so, possibly along with a request that concessions be made as to the other issues. But now that the Raiders have moved up, Russell's folks are holding firm.
RAIDERS OFFER MORE THAN $30 MILLION GUARANTEED
A league source tells us that the Oakland Raiders have offered quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, a six-year contract containing more than $30 million in guaranteed money. The actual number could be closer to $31 million than it is to $30 million.
This information is contrary to reports that the Raiders have topped out at a lower number.
We're also told that the Russell camp presently is looking for guaranteed money in the neighborhood of $35 million.
Though we don't know how such a package could be put together in light of practical restrictions such as the rookie pool and the 25-percent rule, we're told that Russell's agents believe that their proposed structure would allow an amount of that magnitude to be guaranteed, and would likewise survive scrutiny of the management council.
Other obstacles remain, including the extent to which the guaranteed money will be paid out in the form of an option bonus. But the present gap in guaranteed money is wider than previously believed, and unless Russell's side of the table drops its number significantly, this one isn't getting done any time soon.
Our guess is that the Raiders believed that the Russell camp was demanding amounts in the neighborhood of $35 million guaranteed in order to get the team to go north of $30 million, and that the Raiders planned to do so, possibly along with a request that concessions be made as to the other issues. But now that the Raiders have moved up, Russell's folks are holding firm.
