Update
Dianna Marie Russiniย reports that if the Lions are unable to reach an agreement with free agent DT Ndamukong Suh before the start of free agency next week, the Redskins will be among the interested teams.
Washington does have cap space to work with this offseason, but it could be difficult for them to keep up with cap-rich teams like the Raiders,ย Buccaneers, and Jaguars once offers start coming in.
The Lions have said that retaining Suh is their top priority, so they can’t be ruled out either.
————
Dianna Marie Russini, citing multiple team sources, reports that the Buccaneers, Jaguars, and Raidersย will be among the the top suitors for free agentย DTย Ndamukong Suhย this offseason.
On Monday, the Lions unsurprisingly elected to not use their franchise tag on Suh to prevent him from reaching the open market. The issue for Detroit was the fact that it would have cost them over $26 million for the 2015 season to do so.
According to Russini, the Lions still want to re-sign Suh, but now that he’ll have an opportunity to meet with prospective teams, it seem unlikely that they will have a long-term contract in place before the legal tampering period opens this weekend.
The newsย that the Raiders and Jaguars are expected to target Suh should come as no surprise as prior reports have said as much, and they both have a ridiculous amount of cap space to work with.
Tampa Bay is a really interesting option, as they could pair Suh with Gerald McCoy and create, arguably, the best tandem of interior defensive linemen of all time.
Pro Football Focus rated Suh and McCoy as the No. 2 and No. 3 defensive tackles in the league last year.
Bucs HC Lovie Smith had proven to be a very good recruiter in free agency, so if they’re committed to paying him a big-money contract, there’s a chance they could convince him to relocate to Florida.
The counter argument is that the Buccaneers would have a ton of money committed to defensive tackles while having other roster holes that need to be filled. There’s also the issue that the Buccaneers aren’t a Super Bowl contender, which could factor highly into Suh’s decision.
Suh, 27, is arguably the best available playerย in this year’sย free agent class and should set the bar for defensive linemen when all is said and done.
In 2014, he recorded 51 tackles, 8.5 sacks and three pass defenses over the course of 16 games. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 3ย defensive tackle in the league.
We have Suh currently ranked as the No. 2 player inย our Top 100ย Free Agents List.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
Anybody surprised the Raiders are interested in Donkeykong Sue?