On Thursday Al Davis prevented one of his starting cornerbacks from hitting unrestricted free agency, though it's probably not the one Raiders fans were hoping to have signed. David White of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Raiders and cornerback Chris Johnson have come to an agreement on a four-year contract extension. Johnson was set to become an unrestricted free agent on February 27. Terms of the deal have not been announced.
Johnson will be entering his seventh season in the NFL in 2009, while the Raiders were the only team to ever give him an opportunity as a starter. He took over the starting job opposite All-Pro Nnamdi Asomugha when the DeAngelo Hall experiment finally came to an end after just eight games. Eight games, two draft picks and a couple of million dollars that the Raiders would probably like to erase from their memories.
Johnson was solid in his eight starts, intercepting three passes while being credited with 12 pass defenses over the second half of the season.
Without knowing the financial details it's quite a risk for the Raiders, seeing as how he's going to be 30 years old this season and has never been anything more than a specialist throughout his career.
As for Asomugha, it's pretty much a given that the Raiders will place the exclusive franchise tag on him prior to the February 19 deadline, while Asomugha doesn't expect that announcement to be made until the absolute last second. He told Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee that he received a phone call from Davis the night before the deadline last offseason. "I think they have until the 19th to tag me and if they do it, it'll probably be the last second," Asomugha said.
If Johnson can build on his promising play from a season ago, combined with the man-to-man coverage abilities of Asomugha, the Raiders should be set at the corner position for 2009.
If Johnson doesn't improve? Well, the Raiders are simply right back to where they were a season ago in the secondary.
Tracking NFL Free Agents
Chris Johnson, Cornerback
RE-SIGNED WITH OAKLAND - 4 years, terms not announced
The Latest: Oakland wasted no time locking up Johnson with a multi-year deal, and now can focus all its attention on making sure Nnamdi Asomugha is lined up at the Raiders' other cornerback spot.
Paul Sakuma, AP
Albert Haynesworth, Defensive tackle, Tennessee Titans
Regular Season Stats: 14 starts, 51 tackles (41 solo), 8.5 sacks
The Latest: Haynesworth could be the biggest prize to hit the unrestricted free agent market. He's said he would prefer to stay with Tennessee, but the Titans promised not to franchise him again, so they'll have to pay.
Mark Humphrey, AP
Kerry Collins, Quarterback, Tennessee Titans
Regular Season Stats: 16 games played (15 starts), 2,676 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, 80.2 QB rating
The Latest: Despite his age (36), Collins feels he is in line for a big contract -- comparable to whatever Kurt Warner receives. If Tennessee does not deliver, the Brett Favre-less Jets are a potential home.
Scott Boehm, Getty Images
Ray Lewis, Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens
Regular Season Stats: 16 starts, 117 tackles (85 solo), 3.5 sacks, 3 INTs
The Latest: The franchise tag rules mean that Lewis would become the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history at more than $11 million if the Ravens went that route. Baltimore would prefer to re-sign Lewis.
Rob Carr, AP
Terrell Suggs, Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens
Regular Season Stats: 16 starts, 68 tackles (53 solo), eight sacks, two INTs
The Latest: Suggs suggested that he, Ray Lewis and Bart Scott all take hometown discounts and stay in Baltimore, so he wants to be there. He's a cheaper franchise tag option than Lewis.
Streeter Lecka, Getty Images
Bart Scott, Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens
Regular Season Stats: 16 starts, 82 tackles (61 solo), 1.5 sacks
The Latest: Is there room for Scott in Baltimore? With the franchise tag likely landing on Terrell Suggs and the Ravens doing all it takes to sign Ray Lewis, it doesn't look like Scott is a priority.
G. Newman Lowrance, Getty Images
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Wide receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
Regular Season Stats: 15 starts, 92 catches for 904 yards, four touchdowns
The Latest: The only way Housh returns is if the Bengals franchise him. Otherwise, he'll sign a lucrative contract elsewhere -- possibly with Philadelphia, where he's already expressed interest in playing.
Scott Boehm, Getty Images
Nnamdi Asomugha, Cornerback, Oakland Raiders
Regular Season Stats: 15 starts, 40 tackles (33 solo), one interception
The Latest: Asomugha's numbers are skewed by opponents' fear of throwing anywhere near him. The Raiders will use the franchise tag on him if they need to.
Greg Trott, Getty Images
Leroy Hill, Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks
Regular Season Stats: 12 starts, 84 tackles (63 solo), missed four weeks with two separate injuries.
The Latest: Hill was arrested in January on marijuana possession, possibly cooling some interest in him. Seattle has yet to offer Hill a new contract.
Ted S. Warren, AP
Keith Brooking, Linebacker, Atlanta Falcons
Regular Season Stats: 16 starts, 102 tackles (71 solo), three pass deflections.
The Latest: Brooking's contract runs through next year, but the Falcons can void it and take $8.3 million off the books. That's likely to happen, meaning he'll be an unrestricted free agent.
Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images
