Every week, I read the injury report and am reminded that Jason Campbell is still on Oakland’s active roster.
The Raiders decided not to place Campbell on injured reserve despite his broken collarbone in case he recovered quickly and they needed him in December. Campbell, now in the awkward situation of watching Carson Palmer run the team, hasn’t given up on playing this year.
“I don’t rule out anything,” Campbell told Jason La Canfora of NFL.com. “I think the main thing is just focusing on getting my injury healthy, spending as much time and most of my effort into that. And I go to all the meetings, and all of that. I stay on it mentally.”
In theory, Campbell could still wind up factoring into this season if Palmer got hurt late in the year. Campbell also wants to get healthy for when he’s a free agent.
It’s been a difficult process for Campbell to accept how quickly this season in Oakland turned.
“I felt like I had finally found a place, found a home, and I felt like I had helped turn a franchise around,” Campbell said. “And then the injury and then a big trade like that and it’s like, ‘All right, what’s next?’ We’ll see. Everything happens for a reason. I can find the good in anything, so we’ll see.”
Campbell has been known as nothing but a leader in both Washington and Oakland. He’s seemingly handled a difficult situation with composure, which should only help Campbell’s chances of finding a new home in 2012.