Rumor: Ndamukong Suh likely playing final season with Lions

Free agency is still nearly six months away, so anything you hear now could change quite a bit by the time the new league year begins in March. That's especially true for defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who currently isn't even in negotiations with the Detroit Lions on a new deal. The Lions tabled those negotiations before training camp began, so the two sides haven't met about a contract in quite some time.

With that in mind, I suppose this report from ESPN's Adam Schefter comes as no surprise:

A quarter way through season, the Lions are preparing to lose free-agent-to-be DT Ndamukong Suh and he is preparing to move on, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 28, 2014

Again, things could change by the time free agency opens. The Lions could up their offer to Suh, and Suh's agents could gauge the market and realize that the best offer he is going to get is in Detroit. If either thing happens, Suh could very well remain with the Lions in 2015 and beyond.

If things don't change, however, it appears that Suh is setting his sights on playing in New York, per Schefter.

Suh has told people in the past that he would love to play in New York, and the idea of it has huge appeal to him, league sources said.

Wanting to play in a city and actually getting to play there are two different things, of course. Would Suh really fit in the New York Jets' 3-4 scheme? And would the Jets or New York Giants really want to pay Suh the kind of money he's after? It all remains to be seen, obviously, but just because Suh wants to play somewhere doesn't mean it's actually going to happen. Just ask the University of Michigan, which reportedly wants the Harbaugh brother who has actually won a Super Bowl. Like the song says, you can't always get what you want.

In any case, Schefter is also reporting that the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys "would have some level of interest" in Suh if he becomes a free agent. I'm sure most teams would have some level of interest if one of the best defensive tackles in the game hits free agency, but that doesn't mean those teams will actually meet his contract demands.

Essentially, this report from Schefter is a good reminder that we are likely watching Suh's final season in Detroit. Likely is the key word there, though, because a lot can change with free agency, especially when we're still six months away from the start of the new league year.