Nnamdi Asomugha Lands with Philadelphia Eagles, Colts Win

Like a frantic last-minute Peyton Manning touchdown drive, the Philadelphia Eagles swooped in from nowhere and nabbed the biggest free agent prize of this tumultuous off-season: former Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.  By ponying up $60 million ($35 million guaranteed), the Eagles upset other high-profile Nnamdi suitors, including the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys.   This outcome of the Asomugha saga is about as good as could have been for the Indianapolis Colts, even though they won’t benefit directly from Nnamdi’s enormous talents.

For starters, the Houston Texans were thought to be the front-runners to land Nnamdi for most of this week, but he was apparently very diligent in his approach, and the time lag made the Texans nervous.  To make sure they weren’t left completely empty-handed, Houston bowed out and signed former Cincinnati cornerback  Jonathan Joseph.  Joseph is a big upgrade for the Texans, but he is not Asomugha, and, as Michael Floresca wrote earlier, he didn’t exactly face the stiffest of competition during his years in the AFC Central.   Good news for the Colts.

Perhaps even better news is that the New York Jets were next on the runway to secure Nnamdi’s services, and we all know what a thorn the Jets have become for the Colts.   Adding another world-class corner to Darrelle Revis would have made it that much harder for Indy to get past Rex Ryan’s team come playoff time.  Now,  the Colts won’t have to worry about Asomugha until at least the Super Bowl.

Hey, it’s not like the Colts actually signed a free agent to improve their own team, but any good news is worth noting in this quiet and largely discouraging week.   No Nnamdi for the Texans OR the Jets qualifies.   I’ll take it.