National Football League

Raiders lose Nnamdi, close in on deal with Gaither

Published Jul. 30, 2011 3:34 a.m. ET

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The NFL free agency period officially opened Friday with the Oakland Raiders losing their top free agent in All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and closing in on a deal to shore up their offensive line.

While Asomugha was finalizing his five-year, $60 million contact with the Philadelphia Eagles that included $25 million in guaranteed money, free agent offensive tackle Jared Gaither was at the Raiders facility watching practice and being checked out by team doctors.

Coach Hue Jackson said nothing would be finalized with Gaither until the Raiders were assured he was healthy. Gaither missed all last season with a back injury.

Asomugha's departure was official soon after free agents were allowed to sign with teams, but was expected since February when the Raiders gave a big contract to cornerback Stanford Routt and did not sign Asomugha before the lockout.

''I'm very happy for him, and we wish him well, but, as I've always said, it's next man up for us,'' Jackson said. ''We have some very good players here and, again, I'm happy for him but I've got to really concentrate on this football team and try to get this team to be the best that it can be.''

Asomugha was Oakland's best player in recent years, consistently locking up one side of the field in a key aspect of the Raiders man-to-man defense. Asomugha signed a $45.3 million, three-year contract in February 2009 that made him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. He was paid $28.5 million in the first two years of the contract before the final year voided because he did not reach certain benchmarks.

According to STATS LLC, Asomugha allowed 52 receptions and one touchdown the past three seasons, burnishing his reputation as one of the top shutdown cornerbacks in the NFL. His departure leaves a big void in Oakland's secondary.

The Raiders gave their other starting cornerback from last season a big contract in the offseason, signing Routt to a three-year, $31.5 million deal with $20 million guaranteed over the first two years of the deal.

''I know you as the media, you all are going to go ahead and put a media target on my back, but as far as like anything else, it's football,'' Routt said. ''You guard the guy that you're lined up against. It is what it is.''

Routt allowed just 39.4 percent of passes he was targeted on to be completed. That was a vast improvement from the 62.7 percent mark he posted in his first five seasons. Last year's performance was the lowest in the league of any player targeted at least 60 times and was comparable to the numbers put up by Asomugha (39.4 percent), and New York Jets star Darrelle Revis (33.9 percent).

With Asomugha gone, former starter Chris Johnson will likely move back in the lineup and the Raiders will also likely take a close look at four cornerbacks drafted the past two seasons: 2010 picks Walter McFadden and Jeremy Ware and DeMarcus Van Dyke and Chimdi Chekwa from this year.

''He's played in some big games for us and he knows how to play,'' Jackson said of Johnson. ''We're very comfortable and confident in his abilities. We got some good young players behind those guys and on we go. That's just part of it. I feel very comfortable and very good about the players that we have here.''

The Raiders are looking to bolster their offensive line, which is why Gaither is here. The 6-foot-9, 340-pound Gaither is a proven commodity at tackle, where the Raiders currently have second-year player Jared Veldheer on the left side and rookies competing on the right side.

Jackson is quite familiar with Gaither, having been an offensive assistant in Baltimore for two years with him.

''He's a tremendous player,'' Jackson said. ''When he's healthy, he's one of the better left tackles in the league. He has extremely long arms, very tall, very long. He's a good football player. Again, there's a question of health, and we're going to do everything that we need to do to make sure that we know exactly where he is.''

Gaither was taken by Baltimore in the fifth round of the 2007 supplemental draft after being declared academically ineligible at Maryland. Gaither started two games as a rookie before becoming the starter at left tackle for the Ravens in 2008.

Gaither started 26 games for Baltimore in 2008-09, allowing eight sacks, according to STAT. Gaither missed the final five games in 2009 with a foot injury and then was slated to be moved to right tackle last season before missing the entire year with a back injury.

''He is a physical player, has great feet and I think he can help this team out if he comes here,'' Raiders linebacker Kamerion Wimbley said. ''He has ability, and he has the tools to make it tough on his opponents. When you are trying to rush, his long arms definitely create space. He has the ability to reset and things like that. Quick hands, quick feet, strong guy - those are the things you look for in an offensive tackle.''

The Raiders also announced deals to retain two of their own free agents in linebacker Jarvis Moss and long snapper Jon Condo. Both players were at the facility Friday but will not be allowed to practice until Aug. 4.

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