
We didn’t pay much attention to the fact Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha became a free agent after his contract voided, earlier this week.
The Green Bay Packers already have two Pro Bowl-caliber cornerbacks in Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams. They don’t really need another.
However, there are reports Asomugha is interested in playing for the Packers because of his friendship with Woodson, another former Raider.
According to former Raiders beat writer David White (now with the San Francisco Chronicle), Asomugha has long wanted to play for a proven winner, and his next home will likely come down to two locales: Green Bay and New York. The main motivating factor for a move to the Packers is Asomugha’s close friendship with standout cornerback Charles Woodson, and while it would seem that there wouldn’t be much in the way of space for him with the Jets, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them unload another player or two to make room for Asomugha next season.
First of all, Asomugha is a stud. He’s arguably the top shutdown corner in the NFL next to the Jets Darrelle Revis. If he’s interested in playing in Green Bay, the Packers at least have to take a look at the possibility.
Where would the Packers put him?
Easy.
They’d pair him with Williams at corner and move Woodson to free safety. Suddenly, the Packers have what’s probably the greatest secondary ever assembled, with three Pro Bowlers — safety Nick Collins completes that trifecta — and two killer cover corners.
Now, before your panties get too wet, let’s remember who the Packers general manager is. A move like this is completely out of character for Ted Thompson.
Asomugha is going to command a large sum of money and he plays a premium position. Even if he takes a pay cut and begs the Packers to sign him, Thompson won’t do anything about it.
Last updated on May 13th, 2014 at 04:12 pm
Considering recent events, banging on TT seems really stupid right now.
1st of all, NO ONE throws around insane jack like the Raiders, though the Redskins are noteworthy in this category also. So, if Al Davis has a hard-on for this guy, I wouldn’t expect him to go anywhere. Davis made this guy the highest paid defensive back in history and he’ll do it again in spades.
Even if he does happen to go somewhere else, he will command a ridiculously high price. The consistently successful franchises in this league do not spend a lot of money on corners- see New England, Pittsburgh and Indy. There is a reason for that.
Now, I agree that Woodson seems destined for a safety or “slot-only” position like how Deion ended his career, so Asomugha would fit in perfectly. But if we spend huge on him, who does that stop us from resigning? A lot depends on the new CBA… and the red wheelbarrow.
I agree. TT is a big reason why the team still has a game to play. Turn your hate to MM if you need to, TT deserves nothing but respect.
Yeah…no shit Monty. How the hell can you talk shit about Ted Thompson right now. He is directly responsible for the insane amount of talent and depth we have on this team. If Mike McCarthy, who I have cursed all year long and will continue to until he manages an entire game properly, brings this team a Super Bowl….it will elevate Ted Thompson to nothing short of “Fucking Legend.”
First, they move Wood to STRONG safety, not free safety. SS is essentially where he’s playing now near the line of scrimmage and he’s PERFECT for it.
Secondly, think of the other guys that need to get a salary increase – and start with Rodgers – before we get Asomugha. Unless he’s willing to come here for a slotted salary position commensurate with say Woodson’s. I just don’t see either of those happening.
Rodgers just signed a huge contract. But you’re right, there are players that we’ll have to look at bringing back – Jones, Jenkins…
Matthews is the one who will be asking for a raise this off season
I know Rodgers just signed a huge contract. My point was really that Asomugha made more money in straight salary than Rodgers did – by almost double. ARodg is somewhere along 9M and Asomugha is something like 16M? So, to bring in another DB, we have to slot our existing guys accordingly to make the locker room happy.
The Raiders really effed the market up for guys like Revis by doing that.
TT deserves respect, YES. But, if a situation presents itself to make your team notedly stronger by signing one of the best players in the league, you need to evaluate it.
If it seems that what you’ll need to sacrifice (not signing other key players due to cap issues) is greater then the player, then you pass. Otherwise you do it.
I am confident that TT uses this decision process, that is why he / the Packers have been successful.
Ted Thompson haters were all pissing and moaning about Marshawn Lynch’s big night in Seattle…for about 18 hours when Starks went off.
I’m not a hater.. but I did say “whoa I really wish we had picked that guy up” and, yes, by Sunday night I was ordering a Starks jersey
Am I on the right site? What’s up with all the love for Ted Thompson lol. Thompson has made some calls that payed off and some that did not. If a deal can be made I am sure TT would be interested to bring Asomagha in. I think trading for Lynch would have been good but there are pros and cons to everything. If we can make something big out of a rookie that is an even bigger plus in my book.
True, and that was about the only good game Lynch had all year
It’s nice to see some folks on here sitting comfortably on TTs rod, but I can’t really call you all bandwagoners. I mean Ted Thompson is the greatest GM of all time right? No. Not even close. The guy inhereted a division Champion team, then went 4-12. Yeah he drafted Rodgers, but only after he fell into his lap late in the first round. It was a no brainer. So no reason for respect there. Lets keep going shall we? Fired Mike Sherman for a well sought after Mike McCarthy (everyone all at once back then- WHO?) Oh he was the Offensive cordinator for the 32nd ranked offense in San Fran if anybody remembered that. Continued his greatness by drafting the monster of a DT Justin Harell. Oh and by the way for every Aaron Rodgers, B.J. Raji, and Clay Matthews he’s drafted three or four Justine Harells, DeShawn Wynns, or Aaron Rouses. As for the back ups who have stepped it up this year. Don’t you think Dom Capers had a lot of say so on who was brought in prior to the season starting and after all the injuries or do you people really think TT is just plugging in people he picks out on his own? No one seems to notice how the guys brought in on the defense are playing at a higher level than anyone brought in on the offense. Am I wrong? Maybe because Dom doesn’t pick out guys on the offense, but he sure has somthing to do with who plays on his defense wouldn’t you say? TT signs the papers and gets the jerseys made. He hires scouts and picks up guys his coaches want. He couldn’t see talent if it hit him in the dick. Why do think he won’t risk signing a high profile free agent like a Peppers, Lynch mid season (which even his own players criticized him for), or Moss before he sucked? He’s scared of the risk. The only reason he signed Woodson was because he was sucking it up in Oakland and there was higher risk/reward for a player like him, which was needed at the time anyway. Yeah we’ve gotten some really good players from the draft, but so have 31 other GMs in the last 6 years. It’s a lottery in the late rounds. Anyone who watches college football could make an educated guess on who could be good or not but this is what the guy gets paid for. To find talent on draft day so I would hope he hit sometimes. Just don’t try to tell me I have to respect the guy.He’s only made the playoffs 3 out of 6 years. Yes only! I as a Packer fan expect more. He has no balls in my book. Every year he lets good players either go (i.e. Sharper, Longwell, Rivera), or good free agents sign with other teams with out making a play. Not trying for Peppers really pisses me off. Imagine Matthews and Peppers on opposite sides of the field coming at you! Until this asshole proves he wants to win and not stroke his own ego by trying to build with the draft he can fuck off.
P.S. I miss Ron Wolf. He didn’t need the draft to win a Super Bowl did he? Reggie, Favre, Bebbe, Sean Jones, Desmond Howard, Eugene Robinson- all non drafties. Grow some balls TT.
Jennings, Grant, Tramon, Woodson, Matthews, Starks, Shields, and so on. I agree his choice of MM sucked, but TT knows talent. Every team’s draft picks usually result in busts. You wanted Marshawn? He’s had one good run all year. Even money he fumbles next week.
It’s not that I wanted Marsh. It’s the fact that no move was made at all to improve the running game. Not that there was a lot out there to go after, but anything would have been an improvment from what we were left with. A lot of teams have two or three guys they play regularly. I’m sure some would have listened. Jennings in Jax, Slaton in Hou, Westbrook in SF, Dallas has Jones, Choice, Barber, no one main guy. But TT doesn’t even try. Thats the point.
He tried. Buffalo wanted too much. He walked away. Word is New Orleans would have given more than Seattle. So, apparently, Buffalo got stuck on Seattle and didn’t get off.
Holy shit. The infamous Ron Wolf comparison. Free agency is a totally different animal now. We got all those guys you listed for cheap! TT would have loved it. Things have changed a lot since then.
Those who play in March don’t play in January. That is a saying around the NFL. Do Pittsburgh, Indy and the Patriots win enough for you? All of the three build through the draft and do nothing in free agency. In fact, the Patriots were the ones with the template and won 3 Super Bowls with it before everyone else starting copying it. Getting a little older, the Patriots panicked and signed a bunch of free agents- Adelius Thomas, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, etc. They haven’t won a title since. So, they switched back and now build through the draft again while letting their free agents walk instead of signing new ones.
If free agency led to the Super Bowl, then Washington, Oakland and Denver wouldn’t be three of the shittiest franchises in football. They spend a ton. Dallas used to and got 1 playoff win out of it in 15 years. Notice Jerry Jones now builds through the draft too? Yeah, even he is catching on.
Hey, that doesn’t mean you can’t improve your team through free agency- Chuck Woodson. But I laugh at these guys who equate spending with being a good GM. Funny shit. Then Al Davis is a god and Chris Polian and Kevin Colbert suck.
TT just wants another Ahman Green on the team..AG was a god back in the day.
I think we should just get him and rotate him and woodson in every other play. Look at it, they both get rest they both don’t get as tired easily they both can sub in when either is hurt. I think that’s a perfect plan. Or maybe I’m just not that smart..
My money’s on the latter. You keep players of their caliber in for the FULL game.
tt should sit down clay, woodsen, and Asomugha convince them to take a pay cut to make the best defense in the league and guarentee a superbowl, everyone gets paid and everyone wins
Then who would we put on the bench? And to be completely honest, I’ve never heard of this guy..
Now that’spushing it. We might not get to the superbowl if that happens.. yeah this isn’t the best plan I heard.. but it actually does make sense
it makes perfect sense move woodsen to ss and then we have to shutdown cbs and with woodsen at ss capers could make some nasty schemes whos defense would be better
Don’t even worry about this… Sam Shields is the real deal and will be a great cover corner within 2 years.
Does this mean that we have given up on Underwood, Lee and Bush…??? Hope not ;)
but yeah you got a point now.. I misunderstood. good idea atl who!
I know Nnamdi a lot better then White with the SFC, this is the same CLOWN that had both Shane and Nnamdi gone last year. Al Davis made sure neither even hit Free Agency.
From what Nnamdi has told me if the Raiders want him and the price is right he is and will be a Raider. After all When the whole NFL was laughing at him and the Raiders for Drafting him. And Nnamdi was having lots of trouble his first couple years in and was thinking he may be in over his head. It was AL DAVIS that walked over in practice and told him to hold his head up and that he was not just going to be a good corner but a great corner. After all it was Big Al that made the switch for him from Safety to Man Corner.
Add in just how much Nnamdi LOVES CALIFORNIA and the Raiders being so young and becoming THUMPERS Nnamdi will stay with Oakland and end up Retiring a Oakland Raider. Nice to see all the Raider Haters Coveting our players. If there is a Lock Out there will not even be Free Agency this coming year with all players staying where they are another year.
Do you really think Al Davis just let all these players become FA this coming year by accident, if you do you are even dumber then you look.
1st off I can’t even pronounce this guys name and TT prob can’t either. TT would rather develop his guy Sheilds then blow his wad on this guy. He’s like the CB version of Moss. TT is not impressed, but then he doesn’t impress easy. Guys who say they want to play somewhere usually end up somewhere totally opposite.
Iv’e heard it all now, rotate them in every other play?..Yep, Pay easily over 20 million, for 2 part time players, makes sense Andy, let TT do his job, i agree with Shields being a good to gre….corner, having trouble saying great about shields, but i think he’ll be good, looked awfull at the begining of the season, but when he picked up the scheme better, he wasn’t out of position (as much)
Sooooooo..release Bush??
How’d that work out for ya?! Pack SUCKS! Farve is the most overrated athlete of all time. GO BIRDS!