JaMarcus Russell Made it Rain Cash During Rookie Talent Show
By Henry McKenna
Knock JaMarcus Russell all you want. But apparently, you can’t say he was lacking in generosity.
Russell, one of the biggest busts in the history of the NFL draft, was incredibly generous during the rookie talent show after the Oakland Raiders picked him No. 1 overall. Russell’s act was simple: He made it rain.
He went in front of the team with a backpack full of cash, and dispensed that money to his teammates. End scene.
Another story about Jamarcus Russell w/ the Raiders Kirk Morrison told was when Russell was supposed to do some rookie talent show for the team instead of participating, he walked up to the front of the meeting room w/ a book bag full of ? and made it rain on his teammates
— Griselda Records A&R (@el_budget) August 21, 2018
Veteran quarterback Josh McCown, who was with the Raiders with Russell in 2007, appreciated Russell’s talents. On Twitter, McCown confirmed the story and joked that it was “a good day to be in the front row!”
At that time, Russell had just signed a six-year, $61 million deal with the Raiders. (That deal was a huge reason why the NFL created the rookie wage scale.)
Confirmed. It was a good day to be in the front row!
— Josh McCown (@JoshMcCown12) August 21, 2018
That may have been the highpoint of Russell’s career. He started just one game in his rookie season, and finished that year with 373 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. Things didn’t get much better for Russell, who was out of the league after three seasons with Oakland.