The rumor mill regarding potential free agent cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha, is heating up. As if it wasn’t hot enough back in March when the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers were the teams that may have had the hots for N/A-21. Now three of the four NFC East teams, nix the Giants, are reportedly the front runners for his services. Also joining the party are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Houston Texans, a team that was pathetic against the pass last year. So, who are the most serious contenders?
Word on the street is that someone with knowledge of the situation said that Asomugha won’t want any part of the $30 million from the Houston Texans. You have to figure with a series of consecutive seasons playing against each other, Asomugha has a good feel of where the Texans are at, and certainly has to believe the Raiders are more talented. Plus, he could probably get $30 million in Oakland over two years if the Raiders want him bad enough.
The Green Bay Packers have given off the vibe that they are all set in the secondary and they won’t be making a play at Asomugha. Still, the prospect of playing with Charles Woodson would intrigue Asomugha. Not enough to take a major pay cut though, so The Pack is eliminated.
It’s clear that Asomugha is a high caliber talent. Clearly, some team is going to step up and offer him the most money. You have to consider Jerry Jones a prime player for such talks. Think if he gets Asomugha to play cornerback, Michael Huff at free safety, and Rob Ryan as the defensive coordinator. It will be like a family reunion. Texas is not that close on the map to California, but it’s closer than a lot of other teams in the NFL. The Cowboys are a major candidate in the Awesome-one Auction 2011.
Another team that has a strong interest in the Raiders’ shutdown corner is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was recently leaked by Buccaneers higher-ups that the entire franchise is in agreement that making a play for Asomugha is a good decision. This coming from a team that had stated their new philosophy is to build through the draft and stay minimal in free agency. However, this ploy in previous season has put them in a position to make a once in a decade type of buy for their secondary. And Nnamdi is a class act who instantly gives them an upgrade. The Bucs are a big time player in this sweepstakes.
The New York Jets have not come right out and said that they are a player, but they aren’t saying that they are not either. It’s very enticing thinking about lining up your defense with Derrelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha on the outside. The Jets think that Antonio Cromartie is too much baby mama drama and have decided to move on from that experiment. There has even been talk that Cromartie might be the guy that the Raiders look at to replace the loss of Asomugha. That would be interesting. I expect Nnamdi to take a visit, but ultimately not sign with the New York Jets.
The Washington Redskins have long been big spenders in free agency under Daniel Snyder. He’s made a name for himself as the guy who lands the big free agents. But in spite of his fearless aggressiveness his teams also have a history of being pretty pathetic. It doesn’t really matter who is playing for them, they probably won’t be in the playoffs. Nnamdi could have the same thing at home with people he knows and loves. Much like the Texans, D.S.’s money in D.C. won’t be enough for the Oakland C.B.
The Philadelphia Eagles are the last major player in the Asomugha Auction – thus far. The way that Andy Reid likes his defense to play, it is imperative that you have cornerbacks who can go one-on-one and be successful. Andy Reid’s Eagles also have a long history of making the playoffs and they are in the midst of the Michael Vick re-emergence/transformation/forgive-me-plea. They have also been mentioned as a team that has the cap space to make a serious run. All of these factors make the Eagles, I’d say with the Buccaneers and Cowboys, in the top three teams in the running for Asomugha. But they will all have to take into consideration Asomugha’s love for the Silver and Black as well as California when they make financial offers. That’s an advantage that none of them can take away from the Raiders.
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