[Tuck4Bama]

BATON ROUGE -- Quarterback JaMarcus Russell has reached an agreement with the Oakland Raiders on a contract, family members confirmed Monday night.

Family members said Russell was preparing to fly to the West Coast and sign the contract today.


"I got a message from my sister today that said the horses are in the barn and I started texting JaMarcus immediately," said Ray Russell, an uncle in Mobile, Ala., with whom Russell has always been extremely close.

The expected signing would make Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft and the star of last year's LSU team that won the Sugar Bowl, the last first-rounder to sign a deal. He would presumably report to camp right away, and Ray Russell said his nephew has been working out daily at Morehouse College in Atlanta and is ready to go.

When he learned Monday a contract was imminent, Ray Russell said he text messaged his nephew, reminding him of an anecdote from a high school game Russell had lost 32-16, just two weeks after his 14th birthday.

"JaMarcus had his head down after the game and he was real upset about it, and I told him, 'don't hold your head down. There'll be games bigger than that.' " Ray Russell said. "I asked him if he remembered that moment and he texted me back, 'of course.' And I said, 'well, this is that game. Let's go. It's time to get to work.' "

Russell works out deal with Oakland - LSU Beat - Times-Picayune - NOLA.com