The Detroit Lions are reportedly pulling out all the stops to keep superstar defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in Motown. They should relent and allow him to leave via free agency.
If Suh is not given the franchise tag by March 2 or signed by March 10, he will become a free agent. It would be nothing short of salary cap suicide to tag Suh, considering his number would be an outrageous $27 million. Signing him would be less of a cap hit but a much longer and more expensive commitment, likely ranging between $90-100 million over five or six years, with half the money guaranteed.
For comparison’s sack, Gerald McCoy is the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history. McCoy, who was drafted one spot behind Suh by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2010 NFL Draft, signed a $95.2 million deal this season.
The salary cap is expected to be set at $143 million. If Detroit were to franchise tag Suh, it would be committing roughly $65 million to Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford and Suh. Despite the considering talent of that trio, it is impossible to build a Super Bowl-caliber team with only half the payroll to spend on 50 other players.
There is no argument stating Suh is anything but elite. Despite his penchant for being a knucklehead on the field, Suh is the best defensive tackle in football. Over his five years with the Lions, Suh has amassed 36 sacks and 36 stuffs. The former University of Nebraska star has also been the picture of durability, missing just two games throughout his career.
Still, the Lions would be wise to allocate money elsewhere. The team should be focused on re-signing Nick Fairley, another defensive tackle with top-notch talent. Fairley is not Suh, but he comes at a much better value and allows for more flexibility. Detroit also needs to address the offensive line and secondary, two problem areas for the franchise in recent years. If Suh draws a massive deal, upgrades elsewhere are going to be nearly impossible outside of the draft.
General manager Martin Mayhew will undoubtedly take heat for allowing Suh to walk. In the long term, Mayhew will likely find himself vindicated. If Suh is not signed by Detroit when the new league year begins on March 10, the hulking lineman is gone. With teams like the Oakland Raiders milling about with $60 million available to them, somebody will drastically overpay for a name and a few more years of tremendous production.
Then, as with almost every free agent in the history of the NFL, the contract will become bloated compared to production. Those first few years will be worth the commitment, and then the returns begin to dwindle. This is why every Super Bowl champion is built through the draft. Suh was drafted by the Lions and therefore is tough to let leave, but it is a rare case where the team would be wise to let it happen.
Detroit is in a tough spot. It needs to make the tough decision and let Suh walk away.
