Nno way.
The Jets lost the Nnamdi Asomugha sweepstakes in stunning fashion last night when the Eagles swooped in and signed the top free agent to a five-year, $60 million deal.
Philadelphia’s bid for Asomugha came out of nowhere as it had been reported all day the Jets and Cowboys were the final two teams chasing the cornerback. At about 6 p.m., a source said the Jets were out of the bidding. Minutes later, the Eagles had landed Asomugha.
The Jets are now left to regroup after their dream of teaming Asomugha with Darrelle Revis blew up. It is not known how much the Jets were offering, but it is possible they did not want to exceed the $11.5 million salary of Revis.
Antonio Cromartie, the Jets starting cornerback a year ago, remains a free agent and a possible consolation prize. Cromartie and Asomugha share the same agents, so he surely knew what was happening with the Jets’ pursuit of a replacement for him. Now, the question is how quickly they can repair any hurt feelings if they want to re-sign him. Most likely, any ill will disappear if he sees a contract to his liking.
The Jets have second-year cornerback Kyle Wilson, their top draft pick in 2010, but he is not ready to be a starter. They also have been linked to Ravens free agent cornerback Chris Carr and Redskins free agent cornerback Phillip Buchanon.
With the arrival of Asomugha, the Eagles might now be looking to trade corner Asante Samuel. They just acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from Arizona in the trade for quarterback Kevin Kolb. It is unlikely the Eagles can keep all three corners.
Most of the day was spent waiting for Asomugha to decide — “Asom-watch.” Multiple outlets were reporting it was between the Jets and Cowboys, setting up a tasty sublplot of Rex Ryan versus his twin brother Rob, the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.
The Jets were making moves to clear cap space, releasing veteran backup quarterback Mark Brunell in the morning. A source said Brunell would return to the team but at a lower salary to give the team cap room to pursue Asomugha with. The NFL Network also reported the Jets asked running back LaDainian Tomlinson, guard Brandon Moore and linebackers Bart Scott and Calvin Pace to restructure their contracts if Asomugha joined the Jets.
Some people compared a possible pairing of Asomugha and Revis to the Phillies’ pair of pitching aces — Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. In the end, Asomugha pulled a page from Lee’s playbook making everyone believe it was between a team from Texas and a team from New York, then choosing the team in Philadelphia. Now, the Jets and Giants will pay for his choice, just like Lee’s decision hurt both the Yankees and Mets.
The Jets may wish they never jumped into the fray for Asomugha. They have spent the better part of three days chasing him, and they have not signed any top free agents other than re-signing wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Multipurpose threat Brad Smith left the Jets to join the Bills because he said the Jets asked him to wait for Asomugha’s decision before they could offer him a contract.
With the money not spent on Asomugha, the Jets now may be able to bring back Cromartie and find a solid No. 2 receiver. It will bear watching whether they now go back to Braylon Edwards, who posted a message on his Twitter account Wednesday that indicated the Jets told him they were not interested.
brian.costello@nypost.com