Eagles reach deal with prized free agent Asomugha

BETHLEHEM, Pa.The player Eagles fans clamored for when last season ended is coming to Philadelphia.

Thats right.

Nnamdi Asomugha is a Philadelphia Eagle.

Say it again.
Nnamdi Asomugha is a Philadelphia Eagle.

One day after acquiring Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from Arizona for Kevin Kolb, the Eagles came out of nowhere to snag ber-cornerback Asomugha, arguably the best at his position in the league.

Asomugha was supposedly going to the Jets or the Texans or the Cowboys. The Eagles werent even in the picture. Especially after acquiring Rodgers-Cromartie.

But secretly they were. And on Friday the former Raider agreed to a five-year, 60 million deal that includes 25 million guaranteed. The Eagles also signed Jason Babin to a five-year deal and tight end Donald Lee and wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins to one-year deal.

But those movesannounced at the same time as Asomughaare the epitome of afterthoughts.

Earlier Friday defensive coordinator Juan Castillo called Cromartie a shutdown corner. If thats the case, then Asomugha is a SHUTDOWN corner.

Teams dont even try throwing his way.

Asomugha had no interceptions last season with Oakland but, according to STATS Inc., was targeted on only 33 pass attempts. He allowed only 13 completions for 205 yards and no touchdowns.

Asomugha had eight picks in 2006 and only one in each of the next three seasons. Yet last season he earned his third straight Pro Bowl selection and fourth of his career. Hes also a four-time All-Pro selection.

So does this mean the Eagles are trying to trump their terrific cornerback trios of the past? Troy, Bobby and Al were great. Lito, Sheldon and Rod weren't too bad either.

But Asante, DRC and Nnamdi? Seems too good to be true.

And if the Phillies can afford their four aces, then

Nnamdi, I think we all know about him, hes one of the best, if not the best, corners in the National Football League, head coach Andy Reid said. Hell be a great addition to our cornerback corps. Right now, we have three good cornerbacks. It reminds me a little bit of what we had with Al Harris, Troy Vincent and that crew there and Bobby Taylor. Well see how things go there.

Samuel has yet to arrive at training camp for what the team is calling excused personal reasons. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

The Eagles insist the latter (Reuben Frank has more).

Asantes absence is a personal situation that hes dealing with, general manager Howie Roseman said. Hes excused. Hes been in communication with all of us and we wish him the best. Hes healthy.

And hes scheduled to earn 5.9 million in base salary this season. As of now, he will do so with the Eagles. Asked if they planned to keep Samuel, Roseman said:

I think we have a great situation right now. Were just excited to add Nnamdi and DRC and go from there.

And erase the nightmare that was last season, when the Eagles allowed a franchise-record 31 touchdown passes.

While hes 30, Asomugha is also durable, having never missed more than two games in a seasonand that occurred last season when he suffered an ankle injury. Four times hes played all 16 games.

Plus, hes big enough6-foot-2, 210 poundsto handle receivers like Larry Fitzgerald (6-3) or Miles Austin (6-2). Or the pack from Green Bay.

"They have a lot of good receiversthey come off the bench, from the stands. They're all over, Roseman said. That's the team that just won a world championship, beat us in the playoffs and when we are making a lot of these moves we like to see how we are stacking up against them.

Asomugha has yet to stack up against anyone in the postseason. He entered the league in 2003 when the Raiders, a few months after losing the Super Bowl, drafted him 31st overall out of Cal. Oakland hasn't made the playoffs since.

I think his priority is to go to a place where he was going to compete for a world championship, Roseman said, and I think that's why we had a shot there.

While rumors swirled regarding Asomughas final destination, the Eagles were working on the deal and finished, Roseman said, a few hours before his 7 p.m. press conference.

Somehow, the Eagles kept it quiet. And enjoyed doing so.

This is a big-time player. Its exciting. Really exciting. We had a lot of fun today and the past few days, Roseman said.

Hes got great size. Hes gotgreat speed. Hes very physical, an instinctive guy. He can play different coverages. Primarily, in Oakland, they press. But he can play off. Hes a great character guy. He wants to win and he has a will to win. Thats one of the reasons why hes here because he thinks we have a great chance to win. You put all of that together and its a great package.

E-mail Andy Schwartz at aschwartz@comcastsportsnet.com.