Not only will the Oakland Raiders have a new head coach in 2011, they will likely need to find a new starting cornerback. Due to a clause in his contract, Nnamdi Asomugha had his contract voided and will become a free agent. Under the terms of his contract, Asomugha had incentives that he failed to meet. Those incentives could have been reached had he played in more defensive plays in 2010 than he did in 2009 (he played 14 games this season, 16 in the previous one) or had he improved his numbers on certain defensive categories (he had zero interceptions, zero fumble recoveries and zero sacks in 2010).
↵The language used in the contract also precludes the Raiders from placing the franchise tag on him. He will be one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason.
↵Should the Broncos be interested in Asomugha? That all depends on what happens with Champ Bailey and the draft, as well as when the free agency period begins. If Bailey leaves and the Broncos draft a cornerback with the No. 2 pick, the team would likely not want to also give out another big contract to a cornerback. But might it be a bit wiser to pursue a known quantity in Asomugha instead of hoping a young corner like Patrick Peterson or Prince Amukamara from the draft will prove to one day be on the level of Asomugha or Bailey?
↵Let the intrigue begin.
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