Johnson signed; Raiders should now aim to lock up Asomugha
The Oakland Raiders re-signed cornerback Chris Johnson to a four-year contract on Thursday, according to his agent.
The monetary terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but this move, which is the first significant personnel transaction of the off-season for the Silver & Black, is the initial step in keeping the secondary in tact.
Pro Bowler Nnamdi Asomugha can become a free agent again, but the Raiders intend to slap the exclusive franchise tag on him for a second straight year. Oakland has until February 19 to make that decision, something Asomugha expects to happen once again.
“Last year, Al (Davis) called me the day before just to let me know he’s going to do it, and then they waited until the very last possible second,” Asomugha said Wednesday per a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. “I don’t know how they’ll do it this year, but the expectation from my agent is that the tag will happen.”
The Raiders need to work out a long-term deal with their best player. Asomugha has earned his payday, playing for a lowly franchise since entering the NFL and developing into a premier player at his position while being a model citizen and a fan favorite. Last year was the first time he showed any displeasure regarding the happenings in Raider-land, yet he played his finest football in earning his first pro-bowl honors.
It should have been a slap in the face to Asomugha when the Raiders traded for and forked over a huge sum of money to DeAngelo Hall last off-season.
Hall is now gone, Johnson became the beneficiary of his departure, but Asomugha still remains the one guy in the secondary that has not been compensated accordingly.
The time is now for Oakland to do so.
Asomugha won’t scoff at the big payday when he gets hit with the franchise tender, which will net him one of the highest salaries at his position. But what he really deserves and what the Raiders really need is to lock him up and ensure that he is around when and if this team starts righting its ship. While others around get long-term deals, you have to wonder whether or not Asomugha feels insulted about not getting what he has earned.
Johnson cashed in on his three interceptions, 12 passes defended and a forced fumble after replacing the dumped Hall midway through the season. His man-to-man prowess lends itself better to the prototypical Raider cornerback mold, something Hall never adjusted to, and surely a style that Raider owner Al Davis would like to see on the field, especially since the former Falcon was torched on national television in the season opener and in other instances throughout the season.
The former seventh round pick of the Green Bay Packers was actually one of the better defenders as the season wound down and his loyalty to the Raiders was a deciding factor on why he would remain in Silver & Black.
“It was the best opportunity for him,” agent Anthony Brown said. “His loyalty was to Mr. Davis for all the wonderful things he’s done for him.”
Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist
does Nnamdi want to sign a long term deal?he always says he expects to be tagged,but never says something to the effect of- we are working on getting a long term deal done but if it isn’t i expect to be tagged.