You might be saying, “Who’s Nnamdi Asomugha?” When you said it, you just mumbled his name too, because you didn’t know how to pronounce it. That’s alright; we’re all human.
Getting back to the point, Asomugha is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL right now. It’s not like he’s a hidden gem no one knows about though, because he’s been doing well since he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2003. Darrelle Revis and his island gets way more attention, though. Asomugha’s been selected to every Pro Bowl from 2007 to now, and has helped out in the community around him (he was raised in Los Angeles), taking kids on trips to see colleges on the East Coast and giving them school supplies. The people in Oakland have grown fond of him, and he’s a fan favorite to many.
It was thought that Asomugha was locked up for a couple more years due to one of the most expensive contracts given to a defensive back. However, someone looked at the fine print and realized that Asomugha was free to go if he wanted. That person was probably thrown into the alligator pit Al Davis created near his house. It’s a tax write-off.
ESPN:
Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha’s contract voided and he will be allowed to become a free agent without the Oakland Raiders being able to use their franchise tag on him, Raiders senior executive John Herrera confirmed Sunday.
Asomugha’s deal included a little-known clause that said his contract would void if he didn’t achieve his not-likely-to-be-earned incentives in 2010 — and he didn’t.
His contract also contained a stipulation that if he didn’t achieve his incentives, the Raiders would agree not to designate him their franchise or transition player.
“We have to wait on the ramifications of the new CBA to be able to move on,” Herrera said.
Asomugha signed a $45.3 million, three-year contract in February 2009 that made him the highest paid defensive back in NFL history. He was paid $28.5 million in the first two years of the contract.
To achieve his incentives, Asomugha had to play in a greater number of defensive plays in 2010 than he did in 2009, and this season Asomugha played in only 14 games whereas he played in all 16 in 2009.
He also could have achieved his incentives by improving upon on his interceptions, fumble recoveries or sacks this season — but he didn’t have any interceptions, fumble recoveries or sacks this season.
You might think that he’s not very good if he didn’t create any turnovers or anything that shows up on basic stat sheets, but if you keep reading the article, there’s a bit of information that says in 14 games, the receiver who would be covered by Asomugha was thrown to 33 times, and only caught 13 passes for no touchdowns.
Teams right now must be scrambling to get deals together for an already established cornerback. The question is whether or not Asomugha will stay in Oakland. He got the best money from Davis, and he’s attached to the community, but the question is whether he wants to go to a more successful team or not. Either way, it makes this free agency much more interesting than having Adam Schefter try to speculate where Tarvaris Jackson will end up as a backup quarterback.
