Nnamdi Asomugha: What Signing the Free Agent CB Would Mean for New York Jets

When it comes to free agent signings, the New York Jets are taking a page out of the book of their baseball brethren. It just so happens that the page they are taking may come out of the checkbook.

First came the announcement Wednesday that the Jets had agreed with Holmes to a five-year deal worth $50 million. Holmes has indicated that he took a pay cut to stay with the Jets and help them build a Super Bowl team.

Then came the news that the Jets were pursuing free agent prize pony Nnamdi Asomugha, according to multiple reports across the web.

The only difference between the Jets and the Yankees is that the Jets have a salary cap they must work with. They can only restructure so many contracts, and to lock up what could be over 20 percent of their salary cap at one position might be a little overzealous.

With all the talk surrounding the move, it appears likely that the signing could be financially feasible for the Jets if the asking price doesn't get driven too high; small-market teams may make a big play for his services to get closer to that 99 percent minimum of the salary cap.

Furthermore, the Jets can't expect to bring in Asomugha while retaining all of their big-name free agents. They'd probably be very willing to cut ties with Cromartie if it meant landing Asomugha, but what if it also meant losing Edwards, Ellis, Smith and more?

On the field, the move would almost certainly solidify the Jets as the best defense on paper. The stats, however, tell a different story. According to Pro Football Focus, Asomugha lined up on the right side of the defense for 640 snaps in 2010, and played roughly 40 percent of his snaps on the left side, with the change spent in the slot.

Who knows whether the Raiders did that by design of their defense, or because Asomugha is just more comfortable on that side. We may never know, but the Jets may have to find out the hard way.

The Jets love to mix up their coverages in the secondary, moving the players around to best accommodate the match-ups. Take nothing away from Asomugha's dominance over his career, but he's had it a bit easier playing on the right side, where right-handed quarterbacks throw less frequently by default.

That leaves Asomugha in a pickle when Darrelle Revis shifts to the right side of the field to track the offense's best receiver. Would Asomugha switch to the left side, where he has played far less?

Would it even matter?

He can play the other side of the field, having done so in 2010—if only sparingly. Moving him around, though, might put him out of his comfort zone. The Jets must ask themselves if it's worth the financial risk of adding him to the team when he'll be forced out of his comfort zone anytime Revis tracks the offense's best receiver.

The Jets have some hard decisions to make over the next 48 hours as we await the "real" beginning of free agency, when players can actually sign.