Where Does Vincent Lecavalier Rank Among Philly Free-Agent Busts?

2. Nnamdi Asomugha (2011, five-year deal worth $60 million)

There’s a school of thought that says you should never pursue the best the player from a bad franchise. They say a player that has been around losing for most of his career has trouble becoming part of a successful organization and may even be more likely to spread his own bad habits or attitudes to his new teammates.

This brings us to 2011, the birth of the infamous “Dream Team”.

In the 2011, the Eagles went all-in for free agency like never before. They tried to buy themselves a championship by handing out big contracts to any and all attractive names on the market. The Birds got themselves a band of underachieving mercenaries whose talk was far greater than their walk. We saw this spending spree bring frustrating guys like Jason Babin, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Vince Young, Ronnie Brown, and Steve Smith to town.

But the most infamous name from this free agent class is that of cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

If there was one guy among these additions that was supposed to be a sure thing, it was Asomugha. This is a guy who was compared to Darelle Revis of the New York Jets, a guy capable of of shutting down an entire side of the field on his own, a guy that opposing quarterbacks wouldn’t dare think about throwing at.

The Eagles shocked the world by outbidding the Dallas Cowboys to acquire the services of the Oakland Raider standout.

Unfortunately, Nnamdi turned out to be the biggest bust of them all. He gave the Eagles next to nothing in his two years with the club.

Nnamdi’s skills seemed to abandon him the minute he put on the midnight green. Suddenly, he couldn’t run well anymore or cut on a dime. He was abused by receivers left and right, and was notably on the wrong end of New York receiver Victor Cruz’s coming out party when Asomugha allowed the then undrafted rookie to light him up for 110 yards and two touchdowns at Lincoln Financial Field.

Asomugha provided no leadership to a team that desperately needed someone to step up and do so. When he was on the wrong end of a big play on the field, he would frequently be seen pointing the finger at his safeties (Kurt Coleman specifically). Off the field, Nnamdi was a loner who reportedly went off to eat lunch in his car during practice, avoiding as much contact with his teammates as possible.

Asomugha was released after the 2012 season, shortly after Chip Kelly was hired as the team’s head coach.