The Philadelphia Eagles already had to restructure the contract of one disappointed, overhyped star this offseason. Yet the Eagles had to change Michael Vick’s contract and keep him around, due to their lack of options. However, Philadelphia is prepared to release the equally disappointing Nnamdi Asomugha if it can’t come to a new deal with him.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Feb. 22, the Eagles are meeting with Asomugha at the annual scouting combine in Indianapolis to renegotiate his contract. If they can’t agree to a pay cut from Asomugha’s $15 million salary next season, Schefter claims the Eagles are set to release him outright.
Philadelphia brought both Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie over in summer 2011 to create what should have been a “Dream Team.” Instead, this supposedly loaded secondary utterly collapsed, and now both overpriced cornerbacks could be sent away.
Rodgers-Cromartie will not receive a franchise tag and will become an unrestricted free agent. If he leaves, the Eagles could be more tempted to keep Asomugha, instead of starting completely over with the secondary. However, starting from scratch may be what Philadelphia needs in the Chip Kelly reign.
Of course, if that really was Kelly and the Eagles’ goal, then they would have let Vick go into free agency. Since they chose to restructure his contract in order to justify keeping him, they can do the same to Asomugha as well. Still, Philadelphia can find a new cornerback -- or even two -- more easily than it can find a new starting quarterback.
Since the Eagles are already bringing back one disappointing, questionable leader on offense, perhaps it would be symmetry for them to do the same on defense. However, if its gamble on Vick fails, then Philadelphia will truly need its defense to shut opponents down. Unfortunately, Asomugha hasn’t been as capable of that as he used to be with the Oakland Raiders.
It is already questionable enough to keep trusting the offense to Vick, let alone trust the secondary to Asomugha after two straight failed years. Yet the Eagles will at least see if it makes financial sense to do so, before worrying about whether it makes sense on the field.
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