He played college football for the LSU Tigers, winning the Manning Award as a junior en route to becoming the most valuable player of the 2007 Sugar Bowl.

Russell was selected first overall by the Raiders in the 2007 NFL draft, but his tenure was marked by inconsistent play and questions over his work ethic.

[1] Due to not meeting the expectations of being the first pick and the short length of his career, he is considered one of the NFL's biggest draft busts.

In his freshman year, Russell completed 180 of 324 passes for 2,683 yards and 20 touchdowns as Williamson reached the state championship game.

[5] His 10,774 career passing yards broke the Alabama High School Athletic Association record and still stands today.

Russell was the starting quarterback again at LSU in 2006, beating out Matt Flynn and highly touted redshirt freshman Ryan Perrilloux.

At the end of the 2006 season, Russell was named to the all-SEC first-team, ahead of Kentucky's Andre Woodson and Florida's Chris Leak.

On January 10, 2007, Russell stated that he had decided to skip his final season of NCAA eligibility to enter the 2007 NFL draft.

[15] He was one of four LSU players taken in the first round, along with safety LaRon Landry, and wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis.

[17] Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin also stated in 2016 he did not want to draft Russell, preferring future Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

He doesn't have to have everything mastered," noting that Russell had missed all of training camp and other quarterbacks, like David Carr, should have been brought along more slowly.

Coming into the game in the second quarter in relief of starter Josh McCown, Russell played two series, and completed 4 of 7 pass attempts for 56 yards.

After throwing his second interception, he did not initially get up off the field due to an injury, and he was taken to the locker room on a cart later in the game, after which he was replaced by Andrew Walter.

A week after the Miami game, he led the Raiders to a 31–10 victory against Denver where he completed 10-of-11 passes for 152 yards and threw one touchdown.

[31] Following a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on November 15, Russell was benched indefinitely by coach Tom Cable in favor of Bruce Gradkowski.

Gradkowski led two fourth-quarter comebacks and upset the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers in the following two weeks, throwing five touchdown passes.

[34] However, Cam Inman of the Oakland Tribune said that Russell had "a good first minicamp" and "is in great shape" in the team's first training camp in late April.

[37] The Raiders filed a grievance on May 28, 2010, seeking $9.55 million back from Russell for what was paid as salary advances for the 2010 to 2012 NFL seasons.

[50] Russell tried out for the Bears on June 7, 2013, and, according to a report from ESPN, presented a "solid" performance while working out alongside fellow free-agent quarterbacks Trent Edwards and Jordan Palmer.

In 2011, newly drafted quarterback Terrelle Pryor's request to wear #2 was turned down by then-coach Hue Jackson, and Ann Killion from Sports Illustrated said it was to avoid comparisons to Russell.

[56] However, in 2013, Raiders coach Dennis Allen allowed Pryor to trade numbers with King beginning in training camp.

[62] On July 5, 2010, Russell was arrested at his Mobile, Alabama home for being in possession of codeine syrup without a valid prescription.

At his July 20, 2010, arraignment, Russell pleaded 'not guilty' to a state felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.

[65] On October 29, 2010, a Mobile County grand jury declined to indict Russell on the charge of possession of codeine syrup without a prescription.

[42] Rumors of "purple drank" use by Russell had been noted by local journalists for some time during his tenure with the Raiders, but not reported due to the lack of evidence or corroboration.

[67] In an interview with ESPN's Colleen Dominguez, Russell stated that he tested positive for codeine after he was selected by the Raiders in the 2007 NFL draft.

[68] On June 29, 2024, it was reported that Russell was facing a lawsuit in which he was accused of taking a $74,000 check that was meant for the Williamson High School football program, his alma mater.

Russell allegedly approached the donor in the summer of 2022 about a donation to purchase weight room equipment for the Williamson football team.