It's been nine years since the Oakland Raiders selected JaMarcus Russell No. 1 overall and seven years since he last appeared in an NFL game. With the 2016 NFL Draft just days away, Sports Illustrated decided to check in on the former LSU star who will forever be known as one of the biggest busts in draft history. In a video profile set to air on Tuesday and teased on Monday, Russell revealed that he wrote to a number of NFL teams last year asking for a tryout.
JaMarcus Russell wants back in the NFL so badly he says he’d play for free
The former No. 1 pick even wrote Jerry Jones a letter last year asking for a tryout.
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"I am willing to lead the scout team for free for one year just to get experience in your system," Russell wrote in a letter to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. "I want to learn the playbook, sit under proper tutelage and learn from your coaching staff."
I know that my name does not carry much weight in the NFL right now, but I am more than the image that others have bestowed on me.”
Russell -- who signed a six-year, $61 million contract after being drafted, which included $32 million in guaranteed -- was released by the Raiders in 2010 after appearing in 31 games over three seasons. He went 7-18 as a starter over that span and completed just 52 percent of his passes. He also threw more interceptions (23) than touchdowns (18) and saw his weight balloon up to over 300 pounds.
He attempted a comeback in 2013 and, according to AL.com, enlisted the help of former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia. Garcia helped Russell drop 50 pounds, which earned him a workout with the Chicago Bears. But Russell's comeback didn't go any further than that.
That said, Russell, who will turn 31 in August, doesn’t appear ready to give up, even if his chances are beyond slim.
“I can be a water boy and work my way into a scout team,” he said to Sports Illustrated. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll go play for free.”
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