Nnamdi Asomugha will be taking his talents to the Philadelphia Eagles next season, according to reports. If it becomes official, it will no doubt be the biggest surprise free agency deal of what has already been a pretty crazy NFL lockout-shortened offseason.
Asomugha, formerly of the Oakland Raiders, has been regarded as one of the best defensive backs in the NFL since coming in as the 31st first overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. With the Raiders, Asomugha had 11 interceptions and 271 tackles while keeping opposing quarterbacks looking away from his side of the field.
The Eagles picked him up for a reported five-year, $60 million deal according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, $25 million of which is guaranteed.
Considering it sounded like Asomugha was probably headed to either the New York Jets or Dallas Cowboys earlier Friday, there wasn't much talk around the All-Pro defensive back heading to Philly. SB Nation Philly's Dan Klausner talked about the possibility in his free agency preview, though, and not in the most positive manner.
As for all the Nnamdi Asomugha talk, I've never bought into the idea that the Eagles were seriously interested in his services. If you have followed this current regime at all, you're well aware of one of the organization's philosophical bedrocks: Once a player hits the age of 30, the twilight of his career is right around the corner and his days in Philadelphia are numbered. Aside from Terrell Owens, which was obviously a special circumstance, when has the front office signed a free agent aged 30 or over to come in and be an impact player? Exactly, and it's not going to start now, either (also why I'd count out Ike Taylor). Asomugha, affectionately known as Scrabble, is still an elite player, there's no doubt about that, and it's certainly titillating to think about him and Asante Samuel as the defense's starting cornerbacks. However, he just turned 30 and is going to command a long term deal at a ridiculous cap figure ($18 million per season is the number I've seen thrown around). Aside from Charles Woodson and maybe Ronde Barber (no, I didn't forget about Champ Bailey), how many cornerbacks remain elite players into their 30's? Some desperate team will pony up the dough for Nnamdi, but it won't be the Eagles.
So, what does everyone think? Is Asomugha going to be awesome for the Eagles?