Detroit Lions do not franchise Ndamukong Suh

Detroit Lions do not franchise Ndamukong Suh.

By Kevin Patra.


Ndamukong Suh will hit the open market.

The tag would have cost Detroit $26.8 million because his renegotiated salary in 2014 was $22.4 million (the tag calls for 120 percent of a player's salary from the previous season).

The number seemed prohibitive from the start. However, general manager Martin Mayhew wouldn't rule out using the tag to ensure Suh would have been in Detroit for at least one more season. The reality of paying such an exorbitant amount to one player -- regardless of his importance to one of the NFL's top defenses -- likely persuaded Mayhew to decide against the tag.

Suh will hit the open market with the rest of the free agents on March 10. As Around The NFL's No. 1 free agent, the All-Pro will be the most sought-after commodity on the market.

Rarely does a player of Suh's caliber hit the open market in his prime. Detroit's restructuring of his contract led to the team's inability to franchise tag the 28-year-old, hindering the leverage most teams enjoy when negotiating a long-term deal.

With plenty of teams flush with cap space, the negotiations should put Suh above J.J. Watt's six-year, $100 million contract and make him the highest-paid defensive player -- something Suh has wanted.

Whether the Lions will be able to match any offer given to Suh -- or whether the defensive tackle will want to sign with the franchise that drafted him -- is an intriguing plotline as we ramp up to free agency.

I didn't k ow the tag number for him so I can understand why they didn't now.

I would think Suh's attitude should drop him below JJ Watt.

townsend said:

I would think Suh's attitude should drop him below JJ Watt.

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Yes he should be below Watt, no he won't because he's in the market now and Watt isn't.

townsend said:

I would think Suh's attitude should drop him below JJ Watt.

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JJ Watt is the better player, regardless of attitude.

Angrymesscan said:

Yes he should be below Watt, no he won't because he's in the market now and Watt isn't.

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That's pretty much it. And I think Suh will play for the highest bidder period, even if it's Oakland.

Report: Giants considering a run at Ndamukong Suh

Posted by Mike Florio on March 3, 2015, 3:48 PM EST

When defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said in December that his agent will choose his next team, I assumed Suh meant his football agent, Jimmy Sexton. If that’s the case, Sexton likely will select on Suh’s behalf the offer that entails the most money, since the football agent gets paid based on how much money a football player makes playing football.

But what if the agent to whom Suh was referring isn’t his football agent but Suh’s marketing agent, Jay Z? In that case, the marketing agent would be less concerned about football-related revenue and more concerned about off-field earning opportunities, since the marketing agent gets paid based on how much money the player makes away from playing football.

If it’s the latter, a large market like Jay Z’s hometown of New York makes a lot of sense. Coincidentally (or not), Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports that the Giants are considering making a run at Suh.

It would make a ton of sense from a football standpoint, since the Giants won their two championships since 2007 based on the strength of the pass rush — with an emphasis (especially against the Patriots) on creating pressure up the middle of the line of scrimmage. Ultimately, however, the Giants will have to compete with teams that view Suh as a player who can spark a Reggie White-style transformation of a franchise, making an irrelevant or long-suffering franchise suddenly interesting and potentially competitive.

Without question, Suh is the most significant defensive free agent since White picked the Packers in 1993. Former Packers G.M. Ron Wolf recently told PFT Live that White chose Green Bay because of the money the Packers offered, notwithstanding White’s claims of divine intervention. For Suh, the size of the football contract must be compared to the magnitude of the non-football cash possibilities, along with the kind of notoriety that will knock Alex Rodriguez from the back pages of the tabloids.

Whether it’s practical or not, the addition of the Giants to the pursuit of Suh makes a fascinating situation even more intriguing.

Do it, Jerry.

Genghis Khan said:

Do it, Jerry.

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Feh. I'd rather buy two good FAs for what it would cost for Suh.

I'd rather have Hardy for much less...

boozeman said:

Feh. I'd rather buy two good FAs for what it would cost for Suh.

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But think of the comedy we could have when Jerry tries to pronounce his name.

Deuce said:

We're very happy to have Umdonkykong here with the Dallas Cawboys. ~wink~

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Throw in Owamagbe Odighizuwa in the draft and we'll have to get Jerry flashcards.