With several teams still having needs at cornerback and Nnamdi Asomugha and Johnathan Joseph off the board, Antonio Cromartie is now in a good position as the best cornerback available. And reports today say both the Raiders and Jets have made offers to Cromartie.
Jason La Canfora of NFL Network reports that the Raiders want Cromartie as the replacement for Asomugha, who left Oakland for Philadelphia in free agency. In Oakland, Cromartie would be one of the starting cornerbacks along with Stanford Routt.
And Jenny Vrentas of the Star-Ledger reports that the Jets have made an offer to Cromartie, and that members of the Jets’ coaching staff have been in regular contact with Cromartie over the last week.
The Jets were spurned in their pursuit of Asomugha, so they’d like to keep Cromartie around as the next-best option. Last season Cromartie started 15 games for the Jets, and this season he might be even more valuable to the Jets because Cromartie can also return kicks, and the Jets have lost return man Brad Smith in free agency.
The San Francisco 49ers, meanwhile, are also believed to be showing interest in Cromartie.
Although Cromartie isn’t as good a cover corner as Asomugha, he’s more than adequate as a consolation prize for the teams that wanted Asomugha and couldn’t get him. It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that more teams are interested in Cromartie as well. He’ll have his choice of contract offers.