I think, on paper, the hawks have a decent chance: they are a 'contender', and they have very deep pockets with plenty of cap space to pay him big. The immediate impact that he would provide just makes me giddy...
Anyway, here's my take:
It's no secret that Nnamdi is an all business. He is one of the NFL's premier corners, he was a finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, is an associate of Bill Clinton, and has a burgeoning acting career. Not bad for a 29 year old.
Enter: Pete Carroll. Not only does Pete Carroll stand out for his very publicized support for numerous cultural and social programs, but he has Hollywood comedians Will Ferrell and Rob Riggle in his back pocket. Exposure to superstars of Hollywood like Ferrell could pay dividends for a guy like Asomugha.
If Nnamdi is looking for publicity for his social programs and for his acting career, I submit that no coach in the NFL will provide him with more than Pete Carroll could. Along those lines, there are rumors that Seattle is a finalist for this year's Hard Knocks on HBO. The hugely popular perennial HBO preseason series puts teams and players on the map, and could be a boon for a guy like Asomugha, who the typical fan knows little about.
If Pete Carroll can't seal the deal, enter Tom Cable. The Seahawks new Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach, fresh off a hasty departure from Oakland, could prove pivotal in bringing in key Free Agents this offseason: the jewel on the crown potentially being Asomugha.
Could Cable convince Asomugha to come to the Northwest? When asked about the prospect of Tom Cable coming back to the Raiders (shortly before he was fired) on ESPN's First Take, Asomugha had the following reply:
Let’s talk about a couple of CONs. CONfidence and CONtinunity. Those are two things that would help us out a lot if Tom Cable does comeback. You look at the record, you’re like, they were 5-11 again but we never felt like a 5-11 team.By all reports, Cable was well-respected and commanded loyalty from his players. When he was released, it seems like everyone except Al Davis was shocked.
Said Nnamdi:
When it happened I just figured that there was something that they talked about as far as management and that there was some areas that they thought that they needed some improving in coaching. I mean, that was the only way that I could really understand why Cable was let go.Right now, there's still a chance that Asomugha returns to the Raiders. However, they'd have to pay him $17M a year, and for a team that has several key free agent signings to get done, it could complicate things. Just today, Richard Seymour signed a 2 year, $30M contract, making his re-signing all that more unlikely.
So assuming he doesn't re-sign in Oakland: what are the odds he ends up with the Hawks? He has stated that he wants to play for a contender. Seattle is a contender... kind of. I should say, there's probably a better chance they make the playoffs than most teams because of the mediocre teams in the NFC West. Adding Nnamdi to the defensive secondary instantly gives the Hawks that much more of a chance to repeat as NFC West Champs and as you saw this year, anything can happen in the Playoffs.
Do you mortgage the house to go out and get this guy? I say you do.
Picture this:
Asomugha signs with the Hawks. He becomes our shut-down corner, Nnamdi-Island in the Pacific Northwest. A healthy Marcus Trufant moves to the other side as the number two corner, a more natural fit for him at this point of his career. He is rejuvinated and experiences the success expected of him. Walter Thurmond and Roy Lewis spell at CB and contribute in dime and nickel packages. With Asomugha, Trufant back to form, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor improving, the Hawks could contend for one of the best defensive secondaries in the NFC.
Further enforcing this argument, by all accounts, Asomugha is a great leader in the clubhouse and is 2nd to none in the dedication to his craft. Last year, he didn't even bring his cell phone to training camp, so as to not get distracted. He also, up until last year's camp, drove a 1997 Nissan Maxima. How would you NOT want this guy in your locker room to mentor Earl Thomas, Walter Thurmond, and all the young DBs on our squad. It's a win-win (Win Forever) situation.
Do whatever it takes, Paul Allen, go get Nnamdi. Get him to fall in love with your organization. To me, he's your first priority this offseason. That leaves the Hawks with the ability to forgo drafting a CB in the early rounds (which many people have them doing), and they can instead focus on bolstering the Offensive Line, Defensive Line, and Quarterback positions.
People will argue that locking up that much money would be a mistake for a team like Seattle with so many holes. That very well could be, but you have to think about the impact that a player like Asomugha could have on your team and then make your choice. I believe Nnamdi would be a huge difference maker on the field and in the locker room.
If you believe that Schneider will follow the pattern the front office in Green Bay set of "building primarily through the draft," then the Seahawks likely won't need a huge amount of cap space to sign other free agents and their incoming rookies (assuming the new CBA puts pay scale restrictions on rookies, which supposedly is a big issue).
They would then have a good amount of cap space to use on securing guys like Matt Hasselbeck, Leon Washington and Olindo Mare. Brandon Mebane is a big question mark of course, and could cost upwards of $8M if franchised, and this is something the front office will have to take into account. I won't pretend to know exactly how the salary cap works and how cap space is allocated. I do know that they have taken care to free up space, and I hope that they use it on a game-changing free agent like Asomugha.
I'm not an idiot, there are plenty of reasons that he won't want to come to Seattle: It's "Southern Alaska," its a smallish market, he'd rather be playing on the East Coast in Primetime. Most likely, these reasons will persuade him elsewhere. A guy can dream though, right?
Here's him shutting down that one guy, Larry Fitzgerald. (ignore that TD at the end, Fitz went over the middle)
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