How close did free-agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha come to signing with the Dallas Cowboys? Very close, according to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Not only was it close enough that Jones thought it was a done deal, he called it "fact" that Dallas is where Asomugha wanted to be.
"We had known that he really wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy," Jones said on the Cowboys' pregame show before their preseason game against the Denver Broncos on Thursday, via *The Dallas Morning News*. "And that’s a fact. There, for about an hour, I thought he was going to be a Dallas Cowboy. You do that because you can do it and should do it, and take advantage of the opportunity."
Jones, who had not previously commented on the amount of money the Cowboys were willing to pay Asomugha, added, "We obviously wanted (Asomugha) or we wouldn’t have been in the $10 million and up range to get him."
The four-time All-Pro cornerback signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles on July 29.
The Cowboys, Houston Texans and New York Jets had been considered front-runners to obtain Asomugha before the Eagles entered the picture.