The long-awaited debate about the future of Ndamukong Suh and the Detroit Lions got a new bit of news to salivate over on Monday, when it was revealed that the team will not use the franchise tag on its superstar defensive lineman.
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The #Lions will not place the franchise tag on Ndamukong Suh
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 2, 2015
By not using the tag, Detroit is allowing Suh to test the waters of free agency. That is not a guarantee that he will not be playing for the Lions next season, but it certainly opens the possibility that a team with ample cap room could make a tremendous offer to Suh that Detroit would have no hope of matching. The primary reason for the Lions opting against using the tag on Suh was financial, as he would have cost an astronomical amount against the salary cap if Detroit had tagged him. If Vikings Release Peterson, Colts And Cowboys Are Possible Landing Spots
N. Suh would have carried an unprecedented $36.6M cap in 2015 ($26.9M franchise tag + $9.7M dead cap); 25% of the #Lions projected cap. — Spotrac (@spotrac) March 2, 2015
On the open market, Suh has a real chance of becoming the highest-paid defensive player in the league, and his new contract should exceed the $100 million dollar deal that J.J. Watt received from Houston.
While not many people would argue that Suh is better than Watt, there are also not many people that would argue against the assertion that Suh is one of the best five or ten defensive players in the entire NFL. Last season, he was the most dominant run defender and pass rusher on a very good Lions defense, and he did it all while facing a double team on nearly every play.
Suh does have a history of disciplinary issues, which has earned him the "dirty player" label, but that reputation is unlikely to deter potential suitors, as superstar players that are in the prime of their careers are almost never available in free agency.
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