Nnamdi Asomugha is the biggest name on the 2011 free agent market, and the New York Jets do have an affinity for big names. But they also have Darrelle Revis and a roster full of expensive talent. Could New York make it worth with Nnamdi?
According to the latest reports, the answer is yes. ESPNNewYork reports that A) the Jets are interested, and B) GM Mike Tannenbaum's willing to get creative to come up with a deal that works under the Jets' 2011 salary cap, but also gives Asomugha most of the money he'd get elsewhere.
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Likewise, NFL Network's Mike Lombardi tweets, "The Jets can make room to sign anyone they want--with a five year spread of bonus money and option money they can make his 11 cap number low. The cap is about making choices if they sign him, they will not be strong in other areas or have the experienced depth-its all give and take."
And of the interest in Asomugha, he says, "I keep hearing from well placed relible NFL sources that this Jet talk and Nmandi Asomugha is serious and I mean serious."
So while reports have the Houston Texans freeing up cap space and scrambling to restructure their roster for their own pursuit of Nnamdi, it seems the Jets are ready to fight, themselves.
Indeed, it sounds like New York's more interested than anyone expected, and you have to think that if Nnamdi can get paid in New York the way he might in Houston or Dallas, the Jets would have to be the most attractive situation, given their ability to compete for a championship immediately.
None of this explains why the Jets would choose to break the bank for a corner like Nnamdi just a year after giving cornerback Darrelle Revis a gigantic contract, but then... Mike Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan, and the Jets have never been fond of convention. Expect the unexpected with the Jets, even if it's inexplicable.