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As Associated Press sports writer Josh Dubow noted this afternoon, when JaMarcus Russell came out of college, some scouts compared his frame and strong arm to Daunte Culpepper.

Now the Oakland Raiders have one of the two on hand for training camp -- even if it's not necessarily the one who most needs to be there.

With Russell, the first pick in April's draft, still unsigned, Culpepper hit the practice field as a Raider for the first time on Wednesday. Oakland owner Al Davis believes it was a wise move.

"I like to take chances like that," Davis said. "I don't know what the risk is. I don't see any real risk."

Davis likened the move to one he made back in 1979 when he signed Jim Plunkett, who went on to win two Super Bowl titles with the Raiders. But Culpepper's stay in Oakland might not be that long.

He has only a one-year contract, and Russell will be groomed to take over as soon as he signs his contract and comes into camp.

"He's obviously the quarterback of this team in the future so whatever it's going to be," Culpepper said. "I feel that I'm here for a reason: No. 1 to help this team, help myself and also help him any way I can."

Culpepper certainly helped himself.

As NFL Network insider Adam Schefter suggested, if Culpepper is as successful throwing passes as he is negotiating deals, the Raiders are going to be happy they signed him.

Acting as his own agent, Culpepper negotiated a one-year deal with the Raiders that could be worth as little as $750,000 or as much as $5.5 million, which just happens to be the salary Miami had been scheduled to pay him this season.

Culpepper's contract calls for him to make $750,000 in guaranteed money. If he's on the Raiders roster the first game of the season, he'll make $2.6 million and that will increase to $3.2 million after six games.

Culpepper also has up to $500,000 in play-time incentives and another $1.65 in hard-to-earn performance and play-time incentives.

If Culpepper has a Pro-Bowl caliber year and the Raiders win the Super Bowl, the quarterback would make $5.5 million. In the event the Raiders do not win the Super Bowl but Culpepper still plays well, he could make up to $4 million this season.

But as Schefter further explained, if Culpepper plays strong this year -- and he's expecting he will -- then the real riches really await. Culpepper is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Meanwhile, the Raiders need to get Russell into camp. The No. 1 overall pick has missed the first nine practices of training camp as the sides are unable to agree on a contract. Davis said the biggest holdup in the talks revolves around the structure of the deal even though head coach Lane Kiffin said earlier the problem was money.

Davis said Russell's agents, Eric Metz and Ethan Lock, want most of the money to be paid out in an option bonus, which is difficult for the team to recoup if a player violates his contract in the future. Davis said the team wants protection if Russell decides to hold out or feud with the team in the future.

"That's the only thing with JaMarcus. It's not money. That's ridiculous," Davis said. "It's the option bonus. They want all the money in option bonus. And they have the first choice they've ever had and they've got to come through with a decent deal otherwise they are done in the market. That is the story on JaMarcus."

An arbitrator's ruling in favor of wide receiver Ashley Lelie in which he was awarded nearly $900,000 in salary and rescinded fines after holding out in Denver has Davis and other owners wary of option bonuses. Lelie, now with the 49ers, did not report Denver after the Broncos traded for Green Bay receiver Javon Walker.

Profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio, citing an unnamed league insider, noted this afternoon that Davis and the Raiders must have some misgivings about whether Russell will or might ultimately do something that would permit the team to attempt to seek a reimbursement of bonus money.

And, by wanting to maximize the option bonus payment Florio further suggested, Russell's agents apparently are concerned about that possibility as well.

Whatever the case, today's practice session featured Culpepper, Josh McCown and Andrew Walter under center.

According to Oakland Tribune beat writer Jerry McDonald, Culpepper, wearing No. 8, participated in drills and did very little in team sessions. He handed the ball of a few times, fumbled one snap and appeared rusty with his passing, throwing well outside Mike Williams on one pass and badly overthrowing Ronald Curry with another.

He played without a knee brace, and although there was some concern expressed privately within the organization concerning Culpepper's weight, McDonald advised readers the veteran QB didn't appear to look much different physically than he did with the Vikings or Dolphins.

Both Kiffin and Davis said Culpepper would be brought along slowly.

"Obviously, he's got a lot of ways to go in our playbook to catch up to speed with us, " Kiffin said. "But it was good to have him out here today so he can start to get a feel for things."

Said Davis: "We've had great success through the years with guys like Culpepper, giving 'em a little time to heal, a little time to get back in stride, not pushing 'em, not rushing 'em into something."

"I'm just absorbing like a sponge right now, absorbing the offense," Culpepper said. "My mindset is continue to work to get better to be the starter. That's pretty much how I'm approaching it."

In eight NFL seasons, Culpepper has passed for 21,091 yards and 137 touchdowns with 89 interceptions. He has a career quarterback rating of 90.8. He wants the chance to prove he is still the same quarterback who threw 39 touchdown passes in 2004.

"Any time you're a great competitor and people doubt you, it's absolute fuel to overcome whatever they're saying or shut them up in a sense," he said. "I feel like I'm a self-motivated guy. I'm going to expect out of myself more than what anybody can make me or force me to do. My expectations for myself are higher than what anybody could set for me. But doubters, that does give me fuel."

As Dubow pointed, out McCown and Walter also have their share of doubters.

McCown, acquired in a draft-day trade from Detroit, made 22 starts with Arizona before backing up Jon Kitna with the Lions last season. He has 25 touchdown passes and 29 interceptions in his career, but Davis likes his mobility and compared him to Rich Gannon.

The Raiders thought highly enough of Walter that they passed on the opportunity to draft Matt Leinart in 2006. Given a chance to play last season when Aaron Brooks got hurt, Walter went 2-6 and struggled with turnovers and accuracy.

Walter threw 13 interceptions, lost nine fumbles and was sacked 46 times. He completed only 53.3 percent of his passes, threw for three touchdowns and had a passer rating of 55.8.

According to McDonald, both will be watched closely to see how they respond to Culpepper's arrival.

"How are they going to deal with adversities? They're going to happen," Kiffin said. "Are you going to rise to the top or are you going to pout? We're going to find some things out."

Davis, who once considered Walter his quarterback of the future, thinks he needs time to recover from all the sacks and countless knockdowns he absorbed last season.

"What did Nolan Richardson call it at Arkansas (in basketball), 40 minutes of hell?," Davis said. "Well that poor Andrew last year got hit so many times, I don't think he knew where they were coming from."

As McDonald suggested, that's because they were coming from everywhere.

And that's what worries me most about Culpepper, who certainly isn't as mobile as he once was. Will Oakland's offensive line improve sufficiently to keep opposing pass rushers off their quarterback -- whoever it might be?

That question -- and my suspicion that any improvement will be gradual at best -- is why I agree with Schefter, who told "Total Access" viewers on Tuesday night that he still believes McCown is the most likely opening-day starter.

Although he didn't attempt a pass last season, McCown is a five-year veteran with considerable experience. And as San Francisco Chronicle staffer David White recently pointed out -- echoing Davis' belief, McCown's skills would appear to be a good fit for Kiffin's offense, which features a mobile pocket.

During pre-draft workouts in 2002, McCown ran the short shuttle in under 4 seconds and posted a 4.5-second 40-yard dash.

That kind of mobility will help when defenders are coming from everywhere. ...

Meanwhile, we'll be watching for more on Russell's contract negotiations and Culpepper's progress and report back as developments warrant. As always, keep an eye on the News & Views section of this site for late-breaking news and other tidbits of interest. Watch the Headline News section for more in-depth reviews of current events -- including the Fantasy Notebook every Sunday morning throughout the offseason.