There is no quarterback controversy in Oakland. There is no, “let’s see how things go” or “let the best man win” philosophies being taken by the Raiders.

Make no mistake about it: Jason Campbell is the Raiders’ starting quarterback. But just because he’s the new front man in Oakland doesn’t mean that Al Davis’ love affection for JaMarcus Russell’s raw skills aren’t still there. Even though reports have surfaced that Russell is tipping the scales at 300 pounds, as long as he and his big arm remain on the roster then Davis will always be intrigued.

That’s why Davis should release Russell immediately. Why should he tempt himself by keeping the No. 1 overall bust on the roster? As soon as Campbell loses a couple games, Davis could get the JaMarcus Russell itch and demand that head coach Tom Cable put him back in their lineup.

That said, Cable is the X factor in this situation. He proved last year that he was willing to bury Russell under Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye and an old Nintendo controller on the Raiders’ depth chart. Therefore, chances are if Campbell doesn’t pan out it will be Gradkowski that gets the nod over JaMarcubust.

But that’s just one more reason to flat out release him and move on. Davis put together a nice draft for the Raiders and managed to acquire a starting quarterback with experience for practically nothing. He should continue moving his team forward by releasing one massive mistake and putting it behind him.

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Jason Campbell is getting the opportunity to start fresh. It might not be in the most ideal NFL situations, but it’s certainly a great fit for him.

On Saturday, the Redskins traded Campbell to the Raiders in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2012. There are several media outlets reporting that Campbell already has a deal in place that will pay him $3.14 million this year and $4.5 million in 2011.

Oakland is one of the few places in the NFL where players would probably rather swim in shark invested waters than go to, but this really is a great match for Campbell. He’s not an elite quarterback by any means and he certainly needs a strong supporting cast around him in order to succeed, but he should have no problems beating out JaMarcus Russell and Bruce Gradkowski for the Raiders’ starting quarterback job. He has the strong arm that Al Davis covets and has a couple of players in Zach Miller, Chaz Schilens, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush at his disposal to help him succeed in Oakland’s offense.

I don’t expect Davis to outright release Russell without at least giving him one last chance to win the starting job. But if history is any indication, even the acquisition of Campbell won’t motivate Russell enough to work hard this summer. He just doesn’t have the mental fortitude, the drive or the passion to succeed in the NFL and will likely be out of the league soon enough.

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After the Redskins traded for Donovan McNabb on Easter Sunday, the notion was that Jason Campbell would be dealt sometime before the end of next week’s draft. While he hasn’t garnered much attention the past two weeks, Campbell still remains likely to be traded either before or during the draft.

Here’s a breakdown of the teams that might be interested in Campbell and how he’d fit their offensive system. Ranked from most likely to least likely:

Raiders: If (and this is a big if) Al Davis is ready to cut his losses and move on from the failed JaMarcus Russell experiment, there’s no doubt that Campbell would be a fit for Oakland. He has the strong arm that Davis covets and throws a pretty deep ball. He wouldn’t be the answer to all the Raiders’ problems, but he would certainly be an upgrade over JaGarbage and incumbent Bruce Gradkowski. If they’re willing, the Raiders could probably acquire Campbell for as little as a fourth rounder. But they may go with a young QB like Jimmy Clausen in the draft, someone who should be available at No. 8 when Oakland is on the clock.

Bills: I would put Buffalo’s chances at acquiring Campbell on the same level as Oakland’s. The Bills are another candidate for Clausen in the draft but if they acquired Campbell, they could turn their attention towards their need at offensive tackle at No. 9. Campbell has a strong enough arm to play in the gusty winds at Ralph Wilson and would be an upgrade over Trent Edwards. While the Bills could stand to add another receiver, their running game is solid and assuming their young offensive line improves in its second year, Campbell could solidify the quarterback position and make Buffalo somewhat competitive next season.

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The Redskins re-signed restricted free agent quarterback Jason Campbell to a one-year, $3.14 million contract on Monday, but if both parties are still hoping to part ways via a trade, other teams will have to show interest.

Campbell is still relatively young at 28 and is coming off a career-year in which he threw 20 touchdown passes, racked up 3,618 yards and compiled a completion rate of 64.5. Those numbers should be good enough for Campbell to garner interest from other teams, but if anyone is interested they’re playing their cards close to their vest.

The Bills, Raiders, Jaguars and Panthers are four teams that have a need at quarterback and Campbell could be a fit for any one of those squads. That said, Oakland (No. 8 overall) and Buffalo (No. 9 overall) are in position to possibly select Notre Dame signal caller Jimmy Clausen in the first round of this month’s draft, so they may choose to sit tight instead of opening a dialogue with Washington about Campbell. Jacksonville picks 10th, so they too could have an opportunity to select Clausen if he gets past the Raiders and Bills.

Campbell may have to wait until the draft before his fate is determined. And even then, he may have to wait until teams get desperate about their quarterback situation this summer before he’s moved. (If he’s moved.)

Of course, Campbell might not be going anywhere. Donovan McNabb’s contract expires at the end of the 2010 season and while the Redskins are hoping to sign him into an extension soon, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to lock him up long-term. If talks between the Skins and McNabb go south, maybe the team will hang onto Campbell as an insurance policy in case McNabb bolts at the end of the season.

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While appearing on Sirius NFL Radio Show Moving the Chains on Wednesday, former Redskins’ great Joe Theismann took the opportunity to make JaMarcus Russell feel lower than rat excrement.

This is what Joe had to say (via Adam Schefter’s Twitter Page):

“I can tell you conclusively that JaMarcus Russell never will be able to play QB in the National Football League.”

More Theismann on JaMarcus Russell: “He just doesn’t get it.” Theismann advocates the Raiders trading for Jason Campbell, who does get it.

I couldn’t agree more with what he said, although where was this opinionated version of Joe Theismann when he was a broadcaster? This is the same guy that would make obvious statements about players and teams and would rarely (if ever) bring anything to the table in terms of an originial thought. Now all of a sudden he’s Curt Schilling.

Personally, I think the Raiders should stay away from Campbell and take Jimmy Clausen with the eighth overall pick. They need a young, confident quarterback that loves the game and will take charge of a situation. Not that Campbell doesn’t love the game, but he would be better for a team that was already established outside of the quarterback position (a team like the Vikings – minus Brett Favre, of course). Oakland needs to rid itself of the Russell fiasco and start fresh.

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While he didn’t officially say it, Jason Campbell is looking for a way out of Washington now that the Redskins have traded for Donovan McNabb. Cambell, an unsigned restricted free agent, will opt to stay away from the Redskins’ practice facility for the foreseeable future.

Per the Washington Post:

Following the Redskins’ Sunday night acquisition of Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles, Campbell no longer will participate in the Redskins’ voluntary offseason conditioning program at the complex, people with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday. Moreover, Campbell, among the league’s most cooperative quarterbacks with the media, has told friends he does not plan to grant interviews until after his situation is resolved.

Campbell discussed his intentions with Coach Mike Shanahan during their meeting Monday, and both agreed it would be better for Campbell to train on his own and stay away from the park altogether while Campbell’s agent, Joel Segal, works to find a more favorable situation for the five-year veteran. Although Shanahan prefers players to be involved in the program, Campbell might not be with the team much longer.

As the article notes, the Redskins haven’t ruled out bringing Campbell back as a backup, but there’s no doubt that he wants out. Owner Daniel Snyder dissed (do people still use the word “diss?”) him last offseason by attempting to trade for Jay Cutler and recruiting free agent Byron Leftwich. What would be fair is if the Redskins traded Campbell and took whatever they could get for him. He’s been a model employee throughout everything that has happened in Washington (coach and scheme changes, Snyder’s flirtations with other quarterbacks, losing, etc.) and deserves the team’s respect.

Considering that he has played in multiple offenses (not just the West Coast), I would imagine that teams would be interested in Campbell’s services. And if the Skins could get a mid-round pick for him, then he should be dealt.

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Donovan McNabb wasn’t the only quarterback affected by Easter Sunday’s trade between the Eagles and Redskins, as Jason Campbell has now lost his starting job and Notre Dame prospect Jimmy Clausen could freefall in this month’s draft.

There’s no doubt that the Redskins will look to move Campbell this offseason, but the question is whether or not they’d be willing to take a mid-round pick for him. Obviously teams know that with McNabb now on board, Campbell is expendable. The Redskins would be fooling themselves if they believed they could recoup the second round pick they gave to Philadelphia and should be willing to take a mid-rounder (a third, fourth or even a fifth round selection) just to get something in return for an unhappy Campbell.

What teams would be interested in Campbell? The Rams, Raiders and Bills all need quarterbacks and depending on whether or not Mike Holmgren believes Campbell could be a long-term fit in Cleveland, the Browns might be interested as well. Campbell spent the last couple seasons in the West Coast Offense, so the Browns make sense (even though they added Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace this offseason), but again, only if Holmgren sees him as a long-term solution and as of right now, there’s nothing to suggest that he does. And with the Rams presumably set to take Sam Bradford at No. 1, which leaves the Raiders and Bills as the most likely trade suitors when it comes to Campbell.

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In a deal that will not only shake up the dynamics in the NFC East but also this month’s draft, ESPN is reporting that the Eagles have traded quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Redskins in exchange for Washington’s second round pick this year and either a third or fourth round pick in 2011.

It’s unclear at this point whether the Redskins are working on extending McNabb’s contract, which expires at the end of the 2010 season. If he were traded, McNabb said that he wanted to play for a contender and considering he’s familiar with the NFC East, he might be comfortable finishing his career in Washington. He may also relish playing the Eagles twice a year, too.

It’s a little perplexing why the Eagles would trade him within the division – especially given the importance of McNabb’s position. There’s an unwritten rule that states that teams shouldn’t trade within their division because it could wind up haunting them in the long run. But maybe this was the best deal Philadelphia was offered and they jumped on it before the opportunity passed them by.

Now that the Redskins have their starting quarterback, what happens to Jason Campbell? The Skins will likely try to trade him, but they might not find many suitors considering other teams now know Washington doesn’t need him. Still, if they can get a mid round pick for Campbell, it would be better than releasing him and getting nothing in return. (Or keeping an unhappy Campbell on the roster.)

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Jaguars and Redskins have each scheduled private workouts in South Bend with Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. Washington holds the fourth overall pick in April’s draft, while Jacksonville has the 10th.

It’s no secret that Redskins’ owner Daniel Snyder would rather cut off one of his ears than watch Jason Campbell take another snap under center in Washington, while Jaguars’ head coach Jack Del Rio went as far as to say that David Garrard wasn’t a “Super Bowl-caliber” quarterback in early February. Needless to say, both teams would like to upgrade their quarterback situation sometime in the near future.

What the Redskins do at No. 4 may ultimately depend on what the Rams and Lions do at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. If the Rams draft Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh, then Sam Bradford will be available for the Redskins at No. 4. If St. Louis takes Bradford, then Clausen will definitely slip to No. 4. If the Lions pass on offensive tackle Russell Okung at No. 2, then it may come down to Okung and Clausen for the Redskins.

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ESPN.com is reporting that the Rams will hold a private workout with Oklahoma quarterback San Bradford three days before the April 22 draft. The team will also attend Bradford’s private workout this afternoon, although Chris Mortensen reports that St. Louis won’t make a final decision until a couple of days before the draft. (At the earliest.)

The Redskins, who hold the fourth overall pick, will also have a private session with Bradford on April 15. There’s speculation that Washington will take a quarterback at some point during the draft, even though they extended a first-round tender to restricted free agent Jason Campbell and also signed free agent Rex Grossman.

In my first mock draft, I have the Rams selecting Bradford with the top pick and the Redskins taking Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen. Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is the best athlete in the draft, but if the Rams view Bradford as a franchise quarterback then they won’t pass on him at No. 1 – especially considering that DT is one of the few positions that St. Louis doesn’t need.

If the Rams do select Suh (or Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy), then Bradford probably won’t get past the Redskins at No. 4. Whether or not people think that Bradford is a bona fide top 5 pick is irrelevant. It’s been 10 years since a quarterback wasn’t taken among the top five picks and that was in 2000 when Chad Pennington (Jets) slipped to No. 18. If history is any indication, Bradford will be taken at some point in the top 5.

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