In a move to upgrade their defensive secondary, the Oakland Raiders agreed to terms with free agent cornerback Prince Amukamara. The details of the deal are unknown at this time.
The #Raiders have agreed to terms with free-agent CB Prince Amukamara, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The former first-round pick heads to Vegas for his 10th NFL season.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 12, 2020
Prince Amukamara Signs With Oakland Raiders
Amukamara is a proven corner who has played at near All-Pro level several times in his career. He was a starter on a Super Bowl-winning team with the New York Giants in 2011. He provides a physical presence in the lineup as Amukamara disrupts the timing of pass plays by jamming opposing receivers at the line of scrimmage.
The lone drawback to Amukamara’s defensive play is the lack of interceptions from him, but NFL experts believe it’s more of a result that few quarterbacks are willing to challenge him in single pass coverage situations on the field. Still, Amukamara is a great open field tackler from the cornerback position. In nine NFL seasons, Amukamara has recorded 418 solo tackles with 10 interceptions in 113 games played.
Coming out of Nebraska, Amukamara was rated the second-best cornerback in the 2011 NFL Draft behind LSU’s Patrick Peterson. In his senior season, Amukamara allowed only 18 receptions on 52 pass attempts that came his direction during the season. It earned him unanimous first-team All-American honors and being named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The Giants selected Amukamara with the 19th overall pick in the first round. He was the perfect addition to their defense. The Giants were looking for more than a stop-gap option at the cornerback position. The team severely lacked defensive secondary depth on their roster.
Following five seasons in New York, the 30-year old corner decided to sign a free agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. After one season in the Sunshine State, Amukamara signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Bears. Last month, the Bears released him in order to save $ eight million in salary cap space, thus allowing Amukamara to become an unrestricted free agent.
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