Will the Seahawks pursue CB Nnamdi Asomugha?
Jun 16, 2011, 7:26 PM | Updated: Jun 17, 2011, 11:23 am
Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha will be among the NFL’s top free agents once a new labor deal is reached. (AP)
By Brady Henderson
ESPN’s John Clayton thinks Nnamdi Asomugha’s age and his steep price tag will likely keep the Seahawks from pursuing the All-Pro cornerback, though he didn’t rule out the possibility.
Asomugha, who turns 30 next month, reportedly made $28.5 million in the first two years of a three-year deal he signed with the Raiders before the 2009 season. The final year of that deal was voided when Asomugha failed to reach certain incentives last season, meaning the All-Pro cornerback will be among the league’s most prized free agents once a new labor deal is reached.
“I just get the feeling that they (the Seahawks) wouldn’t pay the $12-13 million a year but that could be wrong. They can pay (that much),” Clayton said Thursday. “I think the one concern would be this team wants to get younger and wants to get younger as fast as possible, and bringing in a (30)-year-old corner is not going to get the team younger. It will make it better, because now what it does is it sets up a great three-cornerback set (with Asomugha, Marcus Trufant and Walter Thurmond).”
Asomugha made 19 tackles and had no interceptions last season. Those are underwhelming totals until you consider how much opposing teams avoided throwing his way. According to STATS LLC, Asomugha was targeted on 33 pass attempts last season and allowed 13 completions for 205 yards and no touchdowns.
“Once you put him on the field, the other side of the field now gets all the work because you just don’t throw on Nnamdi,” Clayton said.
The Seahawks selected two cornerbacks in April’s draft, Richard Sherman of Stanford in the fifth round and Byron Maxwell of Clemson in the sixth. But with Kelly Jennings not expected to return, they’ll still have an immediate need at the position.
Clayton thinks Asomugha’s 6-foot-2 inch, 210-pound frame fits what Seahawks coach Pete Carroll likes in a cornerback — and could allow Asomugha to also play safety later in his career, a la Charles Woodson of the Packers.
Clayton listed the Eagles, Texans, Redskins and 49ers as other potential suitors for Asomugha.
