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Report: Jets Lose Ground In Nnamdi Asomugha Chase

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — Darrelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha. Sound good, Jets fans?

If Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum indeed wants to make that incredible cornerback tandem a reality, he may have to up the ante.

"Hearing Houston has moved into the lead for Nnamdi Asomugha," the NFL Network's Michael Lombardi tweeted on Thursday. "Money will be in the 12-14 mill per year range...Revis makes 11.5 per year."

One source told the Newark Star-Ledger that New York is "trying hard" to work out an agreement with Asomugha. The New York Post reports the Jets have "strong interest" in the cornerback.

And why wouldn't they?

Oakland's Asomugha is considered the top player available among this year's free agents, and Rex Ryan surely would love to add another dominant player to his secondary. The Jets, who reached an agreement with wide receiver Santonio Holmes early Wednesday, would make a huge splash with Asomugha -- if they can overcome the $120 million salary cap obstacle.

Who's going where? Check out CBSNewYork.com's Free Agency Tracker

"Corner is a huge priority for our football team because we do play so much man coverage," Ryan said on Wednesday. "I have a philosophy that you lose games fastest at quarterback and cornerback, so you've got to make sure you have some corners that can cover some people."

"He's the best cornerback in the league," said Revis, who has often been labeled as such by others around the league. "Me and him as a tandem would be unbelievable. It would be awesome. I would love to have him as a teammate."

Talk about a ringing endorsement. And, talk about a nightmare for opposing offenses. The two are considered by many to be the top cornerbacks in the league, and teams would have a difficult time challenging a secondary with those two roaming around.

Revis said if Asomugha signs with the Jets, "our pass defense is going to be sky high."

But, New York isn't the only team hot after Asomugha, who will command a huge contract as he did while with Oakland. The NFL Network reports the 49ers are also in the mix.

The Jets may have Mark Sanchez to thank if they manage to sign Asomugha. The quarterback announced Tuesday that he'd be willing to restructure his contract in order to help the team wheel and deal in free agency.

"Whatever we need to do to win, it's on," Sanchez, who has a salary cap figure of $17.7 million, said. "I'll tell the guys upstairs this, too. They know that. Whatever it takes to win. If it's throwing the ball left-handed, I'll throw left-handed. It doesn't matter. We need to win and we'll get the right players."

If they can't land Asomugha, the Jets could turn their attention back to Antonio Cromartie, one of their own free agents who had a solid season last year after being acquired from San Diego.

"We all know this is a business," said Revis, who missed training camp last summer while embroiled in a bitter contract holdout before signing.

A few things working in the Jets' favor, though, are the facts that Revis and Asomugha are friends who have openly talked about how fun it would be to play together, and that Asomugha reportedly would like to get into acting after his playing career. New York could be attractive to him for that reason, too.

"Everybody would love to see him as a member of their team," Revis said. "I would want to see it. Hopefully, it happens." Revis wouldn't bite when asked which of the two — Asomugha or Cromartie — he would prefer to play with if given the choice. He said he and Asomugha have spoken recently, but not to "recruit" him.

"We've always spoke as friends, but we even spoke about it at the Pro Bowl, about playing on the same team," Revis said. "Nnamdi, he knows where he wants to play and what's the best fit for him and what he wants to do with his career."

Would Asomugha make the Jets unstoppable? Sound off in the comments below...

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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