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Nnamdi Asomugha garnered the reputation of being a lockdown cornerback with the Raiders, which is why the Eagles were ecstatic when they signed him to a five-year, $60 million contract in 2011.
According to his teammates, that excitement lasted all of one day.
On the newest episode of the “I Am Athlete Podcast,” former Eagles greats LeSean McCoy and Asante Samuel discussed Asomugha’s fall from grace in Philly. Despite coming to the Eagles with an impressive track record and high expectations, McCoy knew Asomugha wasn’t a star the moment he stepped onto the practice field.
“So when we had Nnamdi, it was his first one-on-one at practice, it was camp. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh we’ve got Nnamdi,’ he signed a big-ass deal, so we’re all looking,” McCoy said. “But when he went against the tight end Brent Celek … the tight end hit him with, like, a post corner. We was like, ‘Awwwww.’”
Asomugha didn’t fare much better at Lincoln Financial Field, either. The ailing veteran surrendered nine touchdowns in 32 games with the Eagles, despite only allowing one over 45 games with the Raiders. Samuel attributed his ‘overrated’ teammate’s decline to quarterbacks’ willingness to target him more while in Philadelphia.
“Before Nnamdi Asomugha came to Philly, he was a great player right?” Samuel asked. “Then he came to Philly, they start throwing the ball at him. They weren’t throwing the ball at him [in Oakland].
“So they’re throwing it at Nnamdi, and now you’ve got to see the real player that Nnamdi is. You’re brainwashed because they weren’t throwing the ball at him.”
Asomugha was never able to mirror the success he had in Oakland and was ultimately released by the Eagles after just two seasons. Following a brief and unsuccessful stint with the 49ers in 2013, Asomugha hung up his cleats while donning a Raiders uniform, courtesy of a one-day contract.
[Asomugha was a] guy that was just overrated and, you know, they gave a lot of pub to because of whatever,” Samuel said. “Just like a lot of overrated people.”
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