Raiders sign cornerback Prince Amukamara from the Bears

Prince Amukamara (Google Images)

According to Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports on Tuesday, the Las Vegas Raiders signed cornerback Prince Amukamara of Leominster, Massachusetts. The financial terms and length of the contract have not yet been disclosed.

The Raiders become Amukamara’s fourth National Football League team. In addition to the Raiders, he has played five seasons with the New York Giants (2011 to 2015), one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2016) and three seasons with the Chicago Bears (2017 to 2019).

Last season with the Bears, Amukamara played 15 games, and had 10 pass deflections. He also had one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, 53 tackles (44 solo tackles and nine assisted tackles), and one tackle for a loss. Amukamara’s forced fumble came in a 16-6 Bears win over the Minnesota Vikings on September 29, 2019.

In his career, Amukamara has played in 113 games and started 99 of them. He has 10 interceptions for 126 yards, one touchdown, 78 pass deflections, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 477 tackles (417 solo tackles and 60 assisted tackles) and 11 tackles for a loss.

On November 11, 2018 (Remembrance Day), Amukamara had a game to remember. He had one interception and two forced fumbles in a 34-22 Bears win over the Detroit Lions.

Initially, a first-round draft pick, 19th overall, by the Giants in the 2011 NFL Draft, Amukamara was one of three defensive backs taken in the first round of the draft nine years ago. The others were Patrick Peterson of Pompano Beach, Florida, who was taken fifth overall by the Arizona Cardinals, and Jimmy Smith of Fontana, California, who was taken 27th overall by the Baltimore Ravens.

In Las Vegas, it will be interesting to see if Amukamara becomes a starter. The Raiders gave up 256.7 yards per game in 2019. That was the eighth most in the NFL.