JaMarcus JaComingOut?
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by user Drpatriot
Profootballtalk.com reports that JaMarcus Russell, a top quarterback prospect from LSU in the 2007 NFL Draft, has signed with agent Eric Metz and will now be eligible for the NFL Draft. After this week's game between LSU and Notre Dame, some league sources and sports writers speculated that Russell had just propelled himself above Brady Quinn for the #1 spot with the Raiders in the NFL Draft.
Metz, a member of agent firm LMM, represents and has represented players like Ruben Brown, Mark Chmura, Joey Galloway, Kendall Simmons, Brett Keisel, Kevin Hardy, and Roger MacIntosh.
Based on this list, it was my first impression that Russell is likely to make a switch before the draft occured. Though Metz has been in the business since 1983, he may not have represented enough high-profile players for Russell to have faith that he could work out a deal pre-draft with the Raiders, who could opt to go for Brady Quinn. However, after further research, I found something out: Metz was the agent for Joey Galloway during his infamous holdout with the Seahawks in 1999. This shows me that Metz could, and would, have Russell hold out in order to get as good of a deal as possible. If the Raiders weren't the team with the #1 pick, this could have a negative impact on Russell's draft status; luckily for JaMarcus, Al Davis is unlikely to care about the price tag for his quarterback of the future. On the other hand, the Raiders always have the possibility to surprise. Either way, this is not a good signing as far as the Raiders go, because Brady Quinn's agent is quarterback guru Tom Condon, who will go to any measure to get Quinn a fantastic deal.
However, I do believe that signing with an agent was the right move for JaMarcus. Even if he doesn't go #1, Russell is definitely a first-round pick and should warrant serious consideration from teams like the Lions, the Ravens, the Bills, and even the Jaguars.
