The subject of the offseason for the Raiders has been the impending departure of All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent and is expected to command top dollar from any team wanting to sign him. And for the past six months, Raider fans have been trying to convince themselves that re-signing Nnamdi is not worth it.
It is expected for devoted fans to use the old “sour grapes” routine to soften the blow of losing one of their favorite players. The defining statement is something like, “We didn’t want him anyway.” But the idea that the Raiders are somehow better off without Asomugha is at best misguided.
The argument in favor of a Nnamdi-less Raider team is the salary available on the books to sign free agents or give long term deals to key Raider restricted free agents. That would be logical if this team were still in the throws of consecutive double digit loss seasons. In those years Asomugha’s contributions to this team were wasted. He was a luxury item on an otherwise bad team. But the Raiders are not that team any more.
This team is past the rebuilding phase. There are solid players or promising young talent at nearly every position. Adding a big name free agent from elsewhere would be a bigger waste of money because it would either bench a good player or hinder the progress of a young talent.
How many times have we heard that a team is built from within? The great teams are the ones who are full of players they drafted and molded. The teams that continuously spend big money in free agency are the ones who continuously struggle. Asomugha is the best Raider draft pick of the last decade. To rent him for eight losing seasons only to let him walk away with the Raiders on the cusp of being a great football team again would be a mistake and a colossal waste.
Think about it. If Nnamdi is such a liability based on his salary, why are those vying for his services, all teams who are already good? If he costs too much, they wouldn’t be able to afford him and still compete, right?
A perfect example is the Houston Texans. They have been knocking on the door for a few seasons now. The one glaring weakness is their cornerback play. They believe that if they could get Asomugha to come over, he could be the missing piece for them to make a run. The Eagles are in a similar position, a good team ready to lay some serious money on the table to acquire the best corner in the league.
What makes the Eagles and Texans so special that they can pay Nnamdi what he is worth while maintaining a good team? And why do so many people seem to think the Raiders are incapable of doing the same thing?
Nnamdi wants to join a winning team. He knows the Raiders are on their way up. They have just as much of a shot at being a good team as any team he could join. The teams who are already winners don’t need his services. Teams in the same position as the Raiders are ideal landing spots for him. If Asomugha were a free agent for another team, I have NO doubt every Raider fan would be calling for the Raiders to sign him.
It would be foolish to let Nnamdi go just to be able to go out and sign a couple of mid-level talents that other teams didn’t value enough to re-sign. He may have been a luxury item two seasons ago, but he is a necessity now.
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