Unless you read last year’s Pro Football Prospectus, you might want to sit down for this one: Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha just signed the most lucrative per annum deal in NFL history: three years, 45.3 million smackeroos.

The first two years pay him $28.5 million – all guaranteed. That’s how much he would have made if the Raiders used the franchise tag on him. The difference now is both years are guaranteed against injury.

The third year will pay him $16.8 million, or the average of the top five quarterback salaries whichever is higher, according to multiple national reports. The Raiders have a team option for that third year but must void it in early March 2011 or that season’s salary becomes fully guaranteed.

Extravagant cash for a defensive player? Consider that Asomugha would have earned the same money had the Raiders been forced to use the franchise tag to keep him. He’s a shutdown cornerback and possibly the best player in Oakland; he’s a proven guy that’s being retained at a competitive rate. But one has to wonder: How valuable can one Assmonger be to a 5-11 team?

[SF Chronicle]