At this moment, it is reported that the crown jewel of the free agency class, former Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, is deciding between the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys.
Readers are familiar with my J-E-T-S fanaticism, and so Dallas Cowboys fans may want to skip this post.
If it really is Dallas vs. New York, he can sign for a legendary franchise with a diehard fan base, albeit one that has won one playoff game since 1996 and went 6-10 last year. The Cowboys return with a (sort of) new coach and a legendarily meddling owner, and while it’s not unthinkable they could make a trip to the playoffs this year, the path to the Super Bowl is likely to have some major obstacles: Green Bay, New Orleans, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, perhaps the Giants…
Alternatively, Asomugha can join the Jets and play opposite the other best guy at the position, Darrelle Revis, and instantly become a legend as the best pair of cornerbacks on one team since the Raiders had Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes. In New York, he would be playing for coach revered by many of his players, a defensive genius Rex Ryan, a team that has a starting QB for the next decade (Mark Sanchez, barring injury) and has been to the AFC Championship Game twice in two years, that knows how to win on the road in the playoffs, and that has beaten every other big team in the AFC in the past two years: Pittsburgh (on the road), New England (on the road in the playoffs), Indianapolis (on the road in the playoffs) and San Diego (on the road in the playoffs). (Okay, they haven’t beaten the Baltimore Ravens yet.) Asomugha would be joining a team that is so committed to winning that at least four players have reorganized their contracts to free up space to sign him.
While Dallas has deep pockets and cap room, I can’t believe the money would be that different.
As a Jets fan, I’m tempted to believe that if he picks Dallas, they can have him.