The Jets are officially in a holding pattern.
Prized free agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is keeping the team waiting as he weighs his options. The competition for him thinned last night when the Texans agreed to a deal with cornerback Johnathan Joseph, taking them out of the Asomugha sweepstakes.
The Jets and Cowboys are the last teams in the running for Asomugha, according to NFL Network.
It is unclear how much cap space the Jets have for their pursuit. ESPN reported yesterday the Jets were more than $10 million under the salary cap. Even if that’s accurate, it does not include Santonio Holmes’ new deal and the money they have to pay their draft picks and other free agents.
NFLN reported Asomugha’s contract will be in the $12 million-$14 million per year range.
The Jets on Friday released backup quarterback Mark Brunell in an effort to free some more space.
The Cowboys have emerged as the Jets’ competition, with players, including quarterback Tony Romo, will to restructure their contracts, according to NFLN. Dallas also holds the advantage of playing in Texas, where there is no state income tax.
The 49ers reportedly stopped their effort Friday morning. They provided a Bay Area alternative for Asomugha, who played his entire career with the Raiders after going to college at Cal.
The Texans signed Joseph, considered the second-best corner on the market to a five-year, $48.75 million deal, according to the Houston Chronicle. They also signed free agent safety Daniel Manning.
As the Jets wait, they are asking other free-agent targets to be patient.
That cost them multipurpose threat Brad Smith yesterday, who agreed to a four-year, $15 million deal with the Bills, according to a source. The Jets told Smith they wanted him back, but they never made him a firm contract offer, his agent said. Instead, they asked him to wait until Asomugha made a decision so they could see what their salary cap situation is.
With a strong offer from the Bills and others on the table, Smith did not want to wait.
“They had a strong interest, but they’re tied up waiting for Asomugha and wanted us to wait around for that to get done and we couldn’t wait around,” said Mark Bartelstein, Smith’s agent. “Brad hates to leave the Jets. He loved it there. But the Bills were aggressive and they showed him how they want to use him. He couldn’t wait around for the Jets. Ultimately, you have to control the things you can control.”
Smith, who was a fourth-round pick of the Jets in 2006, said it was difficult being asked to wait.
“It was tough, man,” Smith said. “When you’re with a team for five years . . . I love my teammates. I love being around them. The organization is great. But it was just a very tough situation to not know and possibly not even receive an offer from the team. It was a difficult situation. I believe we made a tremendous decision and I’m just excited to be part of the Bills.”
The 27-year-old is the first major Jets free agency defection this year. Several agents have said the Jets’ primary focus is Asomugha and everything else will be dictated by what the star cornerback decides.
The Jets are dreaming about a possible pairing of Asomugha and Darrelle Revis in their secondary to give them what might be the greatest pair of cornerbacks the NFL has ever seen. But it will be interesting to see how long they can wait for Asomugha, especially if it prevents them from shoring up other parts of the roster.
Thursday was a quiet day for the Jets, one day after coming to terms with wide receiver Santonio Holmes on a five-year, $50 million deal
Now, it has become all about Asomugha. But if other free-agent targets keep coming off the market, general manager Mike Tannenbaum may be forced to move off his vision for a defensive dream team. Antonio Cromartie remains on the market, and may be the Jets’ fallback plan. Asomugha and Cromartie have the same agent, so Cromartie may be waiting for Asomugha to make a move before he decides where he wants to sign.