Raiders made the big trade for a quarterback that had been rumored for
much of the offseason, acquiring former first-round pick Jason Campbell
from the Washington Redskins on Saturday.
The teams agreed on the final
day of the NFL draft for a 2012 fourth-round draft pick, possibly
signaling the end of JaMarcus Russell's tenure in Oakland.
Campbell previously signed a
restricted free agent tender that pays him $3.14 million this season.
He agreed to a $4.5 million extension for 2011, a person with knowledge
of the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because
the extension had not been announced.
The Raiders had been linked this
offseason to possible deals for Donovan McNabb and Ben Roethlisberger.
But the trade that finally materialized was for Campbell, who became
expendable when the Redskins got McNabb from Philadelphia earlier this
month.
Campbell stopped attending
offseason workouts after the McNabb trade and didn't attend the
voluntary minicamp last weekend. He was given permission to seek a
trade and it finally got done Saturday with the Raiders.
He talked with owner Al Davis,
coach Tom Cable and offensive coordinator Hue Jackson after the deal
was made and feels like he will be the starter this season.
"We can do some good things
together," he told NFL Network. "I see they're putting together a good
draft. They're putting together a defense that has been outstanding.
Last year their defense started to become one of the premier defenses
in the league. If we can help out offensively and turn some things
around anything is possible."
The Raiders had been looking for
an upgrade at quarterback this offseason after former No. 1 overall
pick Russell was benched midway through last season.
Campbell started 52 games for
Washington since being a first-round pick in 2005. He has thrown for 55
touchdowns, 38 interceptions and has a passer rating of 82.3 in his
career. Campbell has been sacked 102 times since the start of the 2007
season, tied for third most in the NFL in that span behind
Roethlisberger and David Garrard.
Campbell is coming off his best
season, completing 64.5 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns, 15
interceptions and a passer rating of 86.4. But the Redskins went 4-12
last season and coach Mike Shanahan was brought in to turn the team
around. Shanahan decided to go with McNabb instead of Campbell.
Campbell has been hurt by
constantly changing offensive coordinators and schemes since his time
in college at Auburn. He had four different offenses in four years at
Auburn, then three more in five years with the Redskins. Now he has to
learn a new system with the Raiders.
"The main thing about the
situation I was going through so many coordinators is, it gives me an
opportunity to adapt to an offense really quick because I have to learn
a lot," he said. "The only bad part about it is, it doesn't give me a
chance to mature in one offense unless you're able to take your game to
a whole other level because you feel like you're always starting over."
Russell completed 48.8 percent
of his passes, with three touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 50.0
passer rating that was the lowest in the league in 11 years. He has
struggled with weight and questions about his work ethic throughout his
career and never developed into the franchise quarterback the Raiders
expected when they drafted him in 2007.
In 31 career games, Russell has
completed 52.1 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns, 23
interceptions, 15 lost fumbles and a 65.2 passer rating.
Russell has already been paid
more than $36 million since being drafted in 2007. The Raiders still
owe him $3 million in guaranteed money. If he makes the team, Russell
will be paid $9.45 million next season.
The Raiders currently have five
quarterbacks on the roster, with Russell, Campbell, Bruce Gradkowski,
Charlie Frye and Kyle Boller.
Gradkowski had been expected to
compete with Russell for the starting job before the trade for
Campbell. Gradkowski hurt himself lifting weights this offseason and
recently had surgery. He is expected to be fully recovered by training
camp.