With the second pick in the 2010 NFL Draft the Detroit Lions select...Ndamukong Suh, Defensive Tackle, Nebraska
Since we made that pick Suh has produced, going to 3 Pro Bowls, 3 All Pro First Teams and AP Rookie Of The Year. That production came at a steep cost - signing a 5 year $63M contract, while we cannot blame him for signing the contract under the old CBA (which screwed us), it is the way he has gone about getting an extension that we can blame him for: Suh's sister tweeted "only 2.5 years to go", although it is only his sister, there is no way she says that without him saying something, Lewand stated that they are having 'civil and productive' talks, firing his agent at a terrible time, hiring one days before FA - therefore, not restructuring or taking a pay cut, not showing up to the workouts and not showing any indications as to what he will do, not stating anything himself, having other speak about the situation.
Suh only had 6 sacks last year, Gerald McCoy had 11, McCoy got a 5 year $55M contract extension, Suh got 5 years $63M on his rookie deal and will command at least $50M. Defensive Tackle is not a position you want to be paying too much for and I would much rather us pay someone like Von Miller, who is great in coverage and racks up double-digit sacks. Suh is a very disruptive player and a great at his position, but if we sign him for 5 years, he will be 32 when his deal is up and a key aspect of his negotiations that annoys me is that #1 picks Andrew Luck and Eric Fisher are getting $22M for their rookie deals (4 years), Suh is getting more than that this year alone and wants more, whilst he will already have $42M more than Andrew Luck will get.
A lot of people say that he wants to win with us because he has restructured his deal, but he will still get all $63M. With the 2015 Free Agency period next year, of we want to keep Suh, but he does not sign, we will have to franchise him, but we will need top pay him 20% more than what he got this year - yikes! The 2015 FA Class features the likes of Greg Hardy, Justin Houston, Marcel Dareus, Terrence Knighton (Pot Roast), Jason Worlids, Knowshon Moreno, DeMarco Murray, Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, Nate Solder, Orlando Franklin, Maurkice Pouncey, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Joe Haden, Byron Maxwell, Buster Skrine, Devin McCourtney, Antrel Rolle, Will Hill and if Stafford fails this year...Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick and Alex Smith.
While, it is not good to pay FAs, when Richard Sherman, Greg Hardy, Jimmy Graham, Justin Houston, Joe Haden and Earl Thomas become FAs...you pay them. Houston would come at around $10M a year, but he produces 15 sacks, so there is no chance that all of these elite FAs don't hit the market so why not make a splash and improve our secondary or pass rush, trade up for Watkins and invest in our defence via FA?
Although I sound very anti-Suh, I love him as a player and if he wants to play for us for the next 5+ years, that's fine, but no Defensive Tackles is worth over $60M, when such elite talents are out there next year, I would be fine keeping him at the right price or having us make a splash. Overall, I want him to stay for the right price, but if not we will have over $15M, pre-cuts and restructures to toy with in FA.
At this point it is either extension or he leaves.