If Nnamdi Asomugha wants to win a Super Bowl, he'll end this bidding war and take his talents to the beautiful swamps of New Jersey.
You see, Asomugha isn't used to winning, as was drafted by the Raiders organization and has spent his entire career shutting down receivers for Al Davis.
And poor Nnamdi hasn't even had the pleasure of playing in a playoff game during his entire career. He was drafted in 2002 -- the season after the Raiders last participated in the postseason.
Which is why, I believe, the Jets are the favorites to land Asomugha at the current time.
The 30-year-old CB is at a point in his career when he's going to want to play for a Super Bowl contender. The Jets have reached the AFC Championship in back-to-back years. And the Niners, well, they might be contenders to win their little NFC West division -- easily the worst in football. But with Alex Smith still operating behind center, and RB Frank Gore currently holding out, how much noise can they make in the postseason? Not much.
The Houston Texans are effectively out of the Aso mix -- they recently signed (former Bengal) CB Johnathan Joseph to a 5-year deal worth $48.75 million ($23.5 million guaranteed).
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are $56M under the salary cap and are forced to spend money to get within 99 percent of cap. But Glazer doesn't usually get into bidding wars with high-profile free agents, and prefers to field players that come from within the system. And it's hard to see the Bucs winning 10 games again this season, with parity in the division as the Carolina Panthers have upgraded their roster.
The Philadelphia Eagles landed (former Cardinal) CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in a trade earlier today, shipping QB Kevin Kolb to the desert.
The Dallas Cowboys, even after their five potential player releases, would still be roughly $4-5M under cap, which wouldn't be enough to offer Asomugha.
And the Washington Redskins signed (former Raven) CB Josh Wilson.
So much for the "Jets don't have enough cap room to land Nnamdi," as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Jets were roughly $10M under cap earlier this morning. They've cleared just enough space.
This bidding war is between San Francisco and New Jersey.
But Asomugha has always been a California kid: Born in L.A.; went to college at University of California; and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders. He loves the Bay Area, and maybe new head coach Jim Harbaugh will be able to convince him that the Niners are a viable contender.
However, I don't think so -- I think he wants to win, and that will, ultimately affect his final decision. Which is why, in about 12 hours time, I think we will be discussing the best cornerback pairing in NFL history, when Nnamdi Asomugha announces he's signing with the New York Jets.