The Jets sure could use Nnamdi Asomugha this week, but they could wind up with the Raiders star cornerback next season.
Due to a contract clause, Asomugha will become a restricted free agent and in the past has been open about his desire to join the Jets and pair up with Darrelle Revis.
A Bay Area reporter who claims he is close with Asomugha said the three-time Pro Bowl player will sign with either the Jets or Packers.
“I know him well. He’ll go to Green Bay or NY Jets. Mark it down,” San Francisco Chronicle reporter David White wrote on Twitter Sunday night.
According to ESPN.com, “Asomugha’s deal included a little-known clause that said his contract would void if he didn’t achieve his not-likely-to-be-earned incentives in 2010 — and he didn’t.”
He missed two games with injuries, and the Raiders were better on offense, keeping Asomugha from reaching playing-time incentives. He also fell short of markers for interceptions, fumble recoveries and sacks, the report says.
The Raiders can not designate Asomugha as their franchise or transition player but have exclusive negotiating rights until free agency begins. However, the NFL’s unsettled labor situation is a complication.
Asomugha and Revis discussed playing together when on the AFC team at last year’s Pro Bowl and the duo is scheduled to be at that game again, if the Jets and Revis do not make it to the Super Bowl. The Jets face the Patriots on Sunday in a second-round playoff game.
“Me and Revis have been talking to Rex (Ryan) to try to do something,” Asomugha said last February. “You may see us in the future. There’s a little bit of talk going on.”
White says Asomugha wants to play for Rex Ryan after being coached by his brother, Rob, in Oakland. The connection to Green Bay is former teammate and friend Charles Woodson, now with the Packers.
Antonio Cromartie, who starts at cornerback for the Jets opposite Revis, also is scheduled to become a free agent.
Asomugha earned $28.5 million in the first two season of the three-year, $45.3 million deal. Revis signed through 2014 after ending his holdout prior to this season.
