The New York Jets dropped $24 million guaranteed to lock up receiver Santonio Holmes on a five-year deal. They have cornerback Darrelle Revis under contract for $7 million against the cap. They’ve signed Nick Mangold, Mark Sanchez, and D’Brickashaw Ferguson to big deals. Even with all the major money they’ve spent, the Jets are interested in signing the biggest free agent on the market, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.
The Jets reportedly are serious about signing Asomugha. Cornerback Darrelle Revis wants to see it happen. Rex Ryan has emphasized the importance of having top-flight corners on his team. About the only obstacle is seeing whether the Jets can fit Asomugha under the salary cap. Given GM Mike Tannenbaum’s creativity, that seems doable.
So if the Jets sign Nnamdi Asomugha, would he make them the Super Bowl favorite? I have to say yes. Darrelle Revis already takes the opposing team’s best receiver out of the game. Asomugha does the same thing. It would be extremely difficult to pass against the Jets in this scenario, and with those two men manning the corners, they could stack the box and make it difficult to run.
The Jets are already one of the top defensive teams in the NFL, but with Nnamdi they would be THE best defensive team. They may not be able to afford Braylon Edwards under these circumstances and that would weaken their offense. Regardless, if the Jets are holding teams to under 10 points per game, they’ll win most of the time.
There are some moves worth making because they can put you over the top. This is one of them. The Jets would have very little flexibility to add anyone else if they sign Asomugha, but it would be worth it. How would you be able to score against the Jets if they added him?
