By Jaboner Jackson 10 am | Even though it was the easiest prediction to make after the Oakland Raiders extended a big money contract to cornerback Stanford Routt before the NFL Lockout began, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha did not officially become an ex-Raider until yesterday, when he signed a 5-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles worth $60 million with $25 million guaranteed. The most surprising news regarding the official changing of the cornerback lineup in Oakland is not that Asomugha left but that the Raiders essentially paid the same to retain Routt as the the Eagles did to snare Asomugha.
Routt signed a 3-year, $31.5 million contract with $20 million guaranteed over two years. Asomugha’s contract has $25 million guaranteed but over five years. Essentially, there is no difference between the compensation paid by the Raiders to Routt and the Eagles to Asomugha.
Accordingly, there remains a shroud of mystery surrounding Asomugha’s departure, especially considering that Al Davis always pays the players he wants to pay and that Davis had no qualms paying Asomugha big money in his last contract. In fact, had Asomugha’s contract not automatically voided for not reaching playing incentives, Asomugha would still be on the Raiders, and for compensation that is befitting players only named Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
This begs the question as to whether there was a falling out between Al Davis and Asomugha at some point over the past two years. Davis tends to keep his mouth closed when players do the same, though, so we may never know. Maybe Davis will say something in two years when he has his next bi-annual presser welcoming the latest head coach of the Raiders but for now we have to wait.
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Other free agency and training camp quick hits from this week:
The Raiders added their most important acquisition yesterday when they signed Jared Gaither to their offensive line. Even though Gaither missed 2010 with a back injury, he has a proven track record as an elite tackle. It seems like the Raiders are content to chase potential at the cornerback position with Routt but want more of a sure bet with their tackle. Jason Campbell still needs a bona fide receiver on the edge but he clearly needs to deliver a strong 2011 campaign and has been given the tools to do so. Campbell is playing on the final years of his contract.
It’s official. The Arizona Cardinals paid heavily to acquire unproven quarterback, Kevin Kolb, who looked like anything but an elite quarterback in the few starts he had with the Eagles last year. Ken Whisenhunt appears confident in his ability to coax greatness out of Kolb but we are less optimistic. Kolb is still two years from being what Cardinals fans hope he is.
Vince Young gets a chance to go through the Andy Reid quarterback school out in Philadelphia. Young has a fragile ego but will do well in Philadelphia. He has good physical skills and needs to torn down and built back up. Reid can make it happen.
Donovan McNabb officially became a Minnesota Viking. He will start and certainly improve on his subpar 2010 season with the Washington Redskins. And oddly enough Bret Favre has stayed retired. We’re not afraid to admit that we kind of miss the big lug.
Chris Johnson has not reported to Tennessee Titans camp. He wants more money and management needs to sign him to a contract that mirrors his production. His current contract is not satisfactory at all.
The Cincinnati Bengals have a brand new look. Carson Palmer has not officially filed retirement papers but the Bengals are acting as if he has. They brought in the FOOTBALLPHDS’ favorite shaved head in the NFL, Bruce Gradkowski, who will be able to run Jay Gruden’s offense effectively but will remain injury prone behind an underachieving offensive line. The Bengals parted ways with Chad Ochocinco, who escaped to New England. Ochocinco has lost at least two steps off of his prime years and will be a less a factor out in New England than people think. The Bengals also lost Johnathan Joseph, whom they had wanted to re-sign at the cornerback position. Is it Marvin Lewis or Mike Brown driving players away? Or both? It’s just a mess for the Bengals now.
UPDATED AT 4 PM: Jared Gaither has failed his physical, presumably due to the same degenerative disc problem that sidelined him in 2010. The Raiders will re-sign Khalif Bharnes and go with what they have on the offensive line. It could be a long season, Raider Nation.
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The FOOTBALLPHDS are spending an evening away from our wives, ex-wifes, and divorce attorneys as we head out to LA Rising Festival at the venerable Los Angeles Coliseum to rekindle our youth and hit the moshpit for the Rage Against The Machine set. If you’re at LA Rising, email me, and we’ll talk football while waving our middle fingers in the air during “Killing In The Name.”
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