Every already in a while, a amateur comes forth who consumes a team’s attention. For the Jets, that amateur was Nnamdi Asomugha, the elite, free-agent cornerback of the Oakland Raiders.
For several days, the Jets remained involved, absorbed and hopeful. They were accommodating to bright millions of dollars in salary-cap amplitude to board him. They deployed their coach, Rex Ryan, a adept recruiter. And then, like so abounding of his suitors, they waited.
Asomugha’s acknowledgment came anon afterwards 6 p.m. Friday, and it abashed the Jets, abandoned the Giants, aghast two associates of the Ryan ancestors and beatific shockwaves through the N.F.L. The Philadelphia Eagles swooped in and active Asomugha, a three-time Pro Bowler and the best coveted chargeless abettor in an contrarily unimpressive class, to a five-year, $60 actor contract, with $25 actor guaranteed.
It was a attenuate setback for the Jets, whose advancing access beneath Ryan and General Manager Mike Tannenbaum has able admirable expectations: aback they aught in on a player, they are afraid aback they do not get him.
Their dreams of bond Asomugha, 30, with Darrelle Revis to anatomy a ascendant bike at cornerback — a acute position in Ryan’s arresting arrangement — concluded aback Philadelphia allegedly aggregate the aforementioned vision. It is now the Eagles, not the Jets, who can lay affirmation to owning the best accessory in the league, teaming Asomugha with Asante Samuel and the fresh accretion Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, who was acquired from the Arizona Cardinals in the Kevin Kolb deal.
With Asomugha off the market, the Jets will aggravate their efforts to defended a cornerback to alpha adverse Revis, whose accepted arrangement guarantees him $32 million. They can admeasure the money appropriate for Asomugha against re-signing Antonio Cromartie, who is arcade his services, or added chargeless agents, like Richard Marshall or Chris Carr. If the Eagles adjudge to allay from their fresh surplus at cornerback, they ability acquisition a barter accomplice in the Jets, who opened chargeless bureau with $100 actor in abode (the bacon cap is $120.4 million). That amount that did not accommodate Santonio Holmes’s fresh accord or affairs for their abstract picks, can now advance money to chargeless agents at added positions, and advanced receiver Braylon Edwards could re-emerge as a possibility.
As added teams entered and exited the behest action for Asomugha, the Jets outlasted the Houston Texans, who alone out afterwards signing Johnathan Joseph, and the San Francisco 49ers, who jettisoned Nate Clements to advance their banking adaptability and presented a bounded another to Asomugha, who played his bookish (Cal) and able (Oakland) career in the Bay Area.
On Friday afternoon, it appeared the Jets’ stiffest antagonism would be the Dallas Cowboys, who cut several players — Leonard Davis, Marion Barber, Roy Williams — to save them almost $18 actor in 2011. As aggressively as the Jets moved, captivation aback on a following of Brad Smith as players like Mark Sanchez volunteered to restructure their contracts, the Cowboys appeared to trump them, mortgaging abutting division for this accepted prize. And the Cowboys’ arresting coordinator accomplished Asomugha on the Raiders for bristles seasons. That coordinator’s name? Rob Ryan, the accompanying brother of Rex Ryan.
That development spiced up the sweepstakes for a while, at atomic until the Eagles pounced. It was a stealth move that evoked addition aggregation from Philadelphia, the Phillies, who afraid the baseball apple — and aghast both teams in New York – by adorable the top free-agent pitcher, Cliff Lee, aftermost December. Whereas Lee is one of the best pitchers in baseball, Asomugha is about unparalleled at his position.
Asomugha had no interceptions and fabricated 17 tackles aftermost season, the atomic of his career, but that stemmed from opposing quarterbacks not alike aggravation to bandy in his direction. According to bold charting by Football Outsiders, Asomugha was befuddled at alone 31 times in 14 starts. No added cornerback who fabricated at atomic 12 starts was befuddled at beneath than 54 times.
Dissatisfied as they may be, the Jets will not accept to delay continued to see Asomugha. The Eagles appointment New Meadowlands Stadium on Sept. 1 in the preseason finale.
BRUNELL MAY BE BACK The Jets appear the advancement quarterback Mark Brunell, who is accepted to re-sign at a bargain cost, and absent two complete chargeless agents, cornerback Drew Coleman (Jacksonville) and punter Steve Weatherford (Giants). They additionally active three abstract picks, including their fourth-round pick, Bilal Powell, a active aback from Louisville.