National Football League

Bailey named to 10th Pro Bowl

Published Jan. 27, 2011 11:30 p.m. ET

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Champ Bailey is heading to his 10th Pro Bowl, a record for cornerbacks.

The Denver Broncos captain was notified by the NFL on Thursday that he was being added to the AFC roster, replacing Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha, who is skipping the all-star game for medical reasons.

The Raiders haven't said what's wrong with Asomugha, but he missed two games this year after spraining an ankle against Seattle on Oct. 31. He was limited in practice the rest of the season but managed to play the final six games.

Bailey missed the final game of the season, against San Diego, because of a bruised right heel that bothered him almost the entire season but only sidelined him for the finale.

Bailey's 10th Pro Bowl appearance will break a tie he held with Hall of Famer Mike Haynes for most Pro Bowl appearances by a cornerback.

''I'm very excited to represent the AFC and the Denver Broncos at the Pro Bowl,'' Bailey said in a statement released by the Broncos. ''It's a great honor to play on the same field with the NFL's best, and I'm looking forward to getting out to Hawaii.''

Bailey joins wide receiver Brandon Lloyd as the Broncos' representatives at the game Sunday in Honolulu.

It might also mark the last time Bailey represents the Broncos, period.

The new front office regime of John Elway, Brian Xanders and John Fox will decide Bailey's future in Denver this offseason. Bailey might become a free agent if the Broncos don't reissue a contract extension offer they withdrew in October or slap a franchise tag on him, providing a new collective bargaining agreement retains such a provision.

Bailey, who just completed his seventh season with the Broncos, was mulling an extension last season when the team withdrew the proposal, leaving his future in Denver up in the air. He's made overtures that he would like to return and the Broncos have said they'd like to keep him, but plenty of contenders are likely to come calling if he's allowed to test free agency.

Even at 32, Bailey showed last season that he hasn't lost a step, shutting down one elite receiver after another. He held Baltimore's Anquan Boldin to one catch for 8 yards and kept Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald and Indy's Reggie Wayne out of the end zone despite a pass rush that was among the league's worst.

The zenith of Bailey's season came Dec. 5 at Kansas City, where he shut out Chiefs standout wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who came into the game with 13 touchdown catches in his previous seven games.

Bailey has 48 career interceptions, the third-most since he broke into the league as a rookie with the Washington Redskins in 1999. He also has the most pass breakups in that time frame. Last season, he had 45 tackles, a sack, two interceptions and 13 pass breakups.

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AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in Oakland contributed to this report.