Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Burgess is reporting to camp for practice today, though he's not exactly thrilled. No. 1 draft pick JaMarcus Russell isn't expected in town, though the coaching staff isn't panicking yet.
Turns out the Raiders can take the most mundane of events - reporting day for training camp - and inject it with excitement and intrigue. How many other teams coming off a 2-14 season can pull that off?
"We'd like everybody to be here when we start practicing," rookie coach Lane Kiffin said Thursday evening as veterans and rookies arrived at the Napa Valley Marriott.
That would be boring, and the Raiders are anything but.
The day started with Burgess' agent confirming in a phone interview his client was "unhappy" because the Raiders declined to renegotiate his contract, which is well below market value for two-time Pro Bowl sack leaders. Burgess decided to report anyway, and will not ask for a trade.
By day's end, it became clear Russell, the first pick overall in April's draft, was unlikely to report in time for today's first mandatory camp function, a 7 a.m. team meeting, with the first practice at 2:45 p.m.
Unlikely, as in he was still in his hometown of Mobile, Ala., on Thursday as his agent continued to negotiate a contract with an undisclosed team of Raiders officials. Second-round draft pick Zach Miller also wasn't signed as of Thursday evening.
Russell reportedly wants a rookie-record contract that includes up to $30 million in guaranteed money. His agent, Eric Metz, is not commenting on contract negotiations.
Kiffin said the talks are "going very well," but hinted this could take awhile. That means the Raiders are facing their first holdout by a first-round draft pick since returning from Los Angeles in 1996.
"We're extremely excited about the way we're going about it," Kiffin said. "We're moving along very quickly, but at the same time, we're doing things in the best interest of our future as well.
"We have a lot of time. He may not be here. We'll deal with it at the time and coach the players that are here."
The longer Russell is out, the less of a chance he has to compete for an opening-day starting job. Josh McCown, considered by team observers to be ahead of Andrew Walter at quarterback, figures to benefit most, and even he wants Russell in camp as soon as possible.
"It's huge," McCown said, "because these first few weeks, the practices that you get and the work you get, you never get back. Hopefully, it will get worked out to where everybody's happy and we can get him in here and get him working."
Kiffin has maintained a dialogue with Russell, and doesn't seem upset that the contract issues have not been resolved.
"We just talked in general about the handling of it and to make sure he understands what he has to do as soon as he gets here," Kiffin said. "He just wants to get here. I know he's so excited to get here."
Not so much for Burgess, who is entering the third year of a five-year, $17.5 million contract he signed as a free agent in 2005. Since then, he has posted an NFL-best 27 sacks, including a franchise-record 16 during his first season, and has been the Raiders' lone Pro Bowl selection both years.
According to an NFL source, Burgess and his agent approached the Raiders about redoing his contract based on his first two seasons. Team officials told them to wait until after the NFL draft and an early May minicamp.
The Raiders never got back to Burgess, so he recontacted them in June. He was told then that team owner Al Davis didn't think it was "good business" to renegotiate contracts with three years remaining.
Burgess' original deal was considered fair when he signed it, considering he missed two of four seasons in Philadelphia with injuries.
But, after two big years in Oakland, he wanted a deal comparable to what the Indianapolis Colts gave defensive end Dwight Freeney this past offseason (six years, $72 million with $30 million guaranteed).
Burgess was not available for comment.
More cuts: The Raiders cut tight end Courtney Anderson, last year's starter.
Kiffin attributed the move to a numbers crunch at tight end, where rookie Zach Miller is considered the leading candidate to start.
Anderson, from San Jose State in 2004, had 25 catches for 285 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Briefly: The Raiders signed third-round draft picks Quentin Moses, a defensive end from Georgia, and Johnnie Lee Higgins, a wide receiver from UTEP. ... They claimed defensive end Bill Swancutt from the Detroit Lions on waivers.
Turns out the Raiders can take the most mundane of events - reporting day for training camp - and inject it with excitement and intrigue. How many other teams coming off a 2-14 season can pull that off?
"We'd like everybody to be here when we start practicing," rookie coach Lane Kiffin said Thursday evening as veterans and rookies arrived at the Napa Valley Marriott.
That would be boring, and the Raiders are anything but.
The day started with Burgess' agent confirming in a phone interview his client was "unhappy" because the Raiders declined to renegotiate his contract, which is well below market value for two-time Pro Bowl sack leaders. Burgess decided to report anyway, and will not ask for a trade.
By day's end, it became clear Russell, the first pick overall in April's draft, was unlikely to report in time for today's first mandatory camp function, a 7 a.m. team meeting, with the first practice at 2:45 p.m.
Unlikely, as in he was still in his hometown of Mobile, Ala., on Thursday as his agent continued to negotiate a contract with an undisclosed team of Raiders officials. Second-round draft pick Zach Miller also wasn't signed as of Thursday evening.
Russell reportedly wants a rookie-record contract that includes up to $30 million in guaranteed money. His agent, Eric Metz, is not commenting on contract negotiations.
Kiffin said the talks are "going very well," but hinted this could take awhile. That means the Raiders are facing their first holdout by a first-round draft pick since returning from Los Angeles in 1996.
"We're extremely excited about the way we're going about it," Kiffin said. "We're moving along very quickly, but at the same time, we're doing things in the best interest of our future as well.
"We have a lot of time. He may not be here. We'll deal with it at the time and coach the players that are here."
The longer Russell is out, the less of a chance he has to compete for an opening-day starting job. Josh McCown, considered by team observers to be ahead of Andrew Walter at quarterback, figures to benefit most, and even he wants Russell in camp as soon as possible.
"It's huge," McCown said, "because these first few weeks, the practices that you get and the work you get, you never get back. Hopefully, it will get worked out to where everybody's happy and we can get him in here and get him working."
Kiffin has maintained a dialogue with Russell, and doesn't seem upset that the contract issues have not been resolved.
"We just talked in general about the handling of it and to make sure he understands what he has to do as soon as he gets here," Kiffin said. "He just wants to get here. I know he's so excited to get here."
Not so much for Burgess, who is entering the third year of a five-year, $17.5 million contract he signed as a free agent in 2005. Since then, he has posted an NFL-best 27 sacks, including a franchise-record 16 during his first season, and has been the Raiders' lone Pro Bowl selection both years.
According to an NFL source, Burgess and his agent approached the Raiders about redoing his contract based on his first two seasons. Team officials told them to wait until after the NFL draft and an early May minicamp.
The Raiders never got back to Burgess, so he recontacted them in June. He was told then that team owner Al Davis didn't think it was "good business" to renegotiate contracts with three years remaining.
Burgess' original deal was considered fair when he signed it, considering he missed two of four seasons in Philadelphia with injuries.
But, after two big years in Oakland, he wanted a deal comparable to what the Indianapolis Colts gave defensive end Dwight Freeney this past offseason (six years, $72 million with $30 million guaranteed).
Burgess was not available for comment.
More cuts: The Raiders cut tight end Courtney Anderson, last year's starter.
Kiffin attributed the move to a numbers crunch at tight end, where rookie Zach Miller is considered the leading candidate to start.
Anderson, from San Jose State in 2004, had 25 catches for 285 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Briefly: The Raiders signed third-round draft picks Quentin Moses, a defensive end from Georgia, and Johnnie Lee Higgins, a wide receiver from UTEP. ... They claimed defensive end Bill Swancutt from the Detroit Lions on waivers.
