There’s a good chance Ndamukong Suh is the biggest name in free agency this offseason, and although the Detroit Lions will try to retain his services (although they didn’t franchise him), the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts are looking like the favorites to sign him.
Suh, 28, is looking to get a contract in the vicinity of what J.J. Watt got from the Texans. In short? Over $100 million with around $60 million in guaranteed money. Suh had 8.5 sacks last season for the Lions and has been named to the All-Pro first team three times in his five NFL season. Sure, his on-field behavior causes trouble sometimes, but overall, it’s hard to argue that the Lions have been very happy with him at DT for the last few seasons.
Is money the number one thing for Suh? It seems to be that way. While the Lions will like to re-sign him, not giving him the franchise tag might be a sign of things to come. They have around $23 million in cap space at the moment, and might not want to commit so much with so many other needs on the table for them to address.
The Colts, a team that has a need in pretty much every position besides quarterback, are mentioned with every big name free agent because of their $38 million in cap space. They’re not going to sign everybody, but they’re in contention for pretty much everyone, and it’s been considered that it’s between them and the Dolphins right now.
What do the Dolphins have to offer? Miami. The team might be doing badly for a very long time, but the city is always a great attraction, and the fact that there’s no income tax in Florida might be the real incentive in all of this for Suh, who has spoken more than once of his aspirations to earn as much money as possible from more than just football in the years to come.
The Dolphins have less cap space at the moment, but they are planning to change some deals and cut some players in order to make this move or something else plausible.