Oshiomogho Atogwe became a free agent a week ago, but so far there really hasn't been much interest in him. The thinking has been that Atogwe's high salary demands are why teams are shying away from him, but perhaps injuries have something to do with it as well, as Paula Pasche reports.
He’s got a few injuries that are a concern — a shoulder and a groin — and he apparently is not worth as much as he thought he was.
One thing is obvious: Atogwe is overvaluing himself and no team is so desperate for a safety that they are willing to overpay him -- at least no team is in that position yet. Why exactly Atogwe's salary demands are considered too high probably involves a combination of things:
- Teams have determined Atogwe is worth a certain price, but Atogwe and his agent believe he is worth much more than the current market value.
- Teams have already mapped out their offseason plan and this late in the game nobody is willing to overpay to fill a need.
- By this time in the offseason most teams have already filled their needs.
- If teams haven't filled their needs on paper, they may be waiting until training camp to really start evaluating who they have and what the roster looks like.
- Atogwe just isn't as good of a safety as we all (himself included) think.
- These injury concerns are driving down Atogwe's value.
One way or another, it doesn't appear that Atogwe will land with the Lions unless he revisits his asking price. While the Lions did show they are willing to spend money earlier this offseason by signing Kyle Vanden Bosch and Nate Burleson, this isn't Madden where you can turn the cap off and go on a shopping spree. The Lions have an internal budget they would like to stick to, and Atogwe certainly does not seem like a player worth going overboard for. I still am holding out some hope that things will work out and Atogwe will become a Lion, but a lot would have to change to make that a reality.