At 28 and in the prime of what has been a standout career, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will be the hottest defensive free agent in the NFL during the offseason and, as Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com notes, perhaps the biggest defensive free agent catch since Deion Sanders signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 1995 or Reggie White signed with the Green Bay Packers in 1993.
[RELATED: Lions made the right call by not franchising Ndamukong Suh.]
He’ll also be extremely expensive — in December, Suh all but said he would let agent Jimmy Sexton pick his next destination, which means he’s going to the highest bidder — and he’s all but certain to become the highest-paid defensive player ever, so only teams with significant salary cap space need apply.
With that in mind, here are the teams with the best shot at landing Suh (in no particular order).
Oakland Raiders
The Raiders not only have a ton of cap space — $56 million, per Bill Williamson of ESPN.com — they actively need to spend it to get over the NFL-mandated spending threshhold (teams must spend at least 89 percent of the salary cap in cash from 2013 through 2016, and Oakland has spent only 80.19 percent halfway through that span). A player who wears the black hat so well like Suh would seem to be a perfect fit for a Raiders team that undoubtedly wants to recapture some of its long-departed swagger.
New York Giants
ESPN’s Adam Schefter thinks Suh to New York is a possibility, depending on the Giants’ ability to rework some of the team’s bigger contracts (Jason Pierre-Paul — whom they franchised Monday — Eli Manning and Prince Amukamara) to free up cap space. Schefter reported in September that Suh has told people he would love to play in New York.
Washington Redskins
However, the Redskins are expected to have around only $25 million in cap space, though that number could change with a few more roster moves.
[RELATED: A look at the Redskins' salary cap situation.]
Dallas Cowboys
Schefter also mentioned the Cowboys, who have long sought to beef up their defense, as a possibility for Suh, but it might be hard for Dallas to sign him if they want to keep wideout Dez Bryant for the long term and also re-sign running back DeMarco Murray. One thing working in Dallas’s favor: there’s no personal income tax in Texas.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Florida is another tax-free locale, and the Jaguars will have nearly $30 million in cap space to work with, third most in the league behind Oakland and Indianapolis (about $33 million). Jacksonville desperately needs something — anything — to give their fans reason to cheer, and Suh could be it.
Indianapolis Colts
See above for the note on the Colts’ plentiful cap space, and their defense could use some firepower.
Colts punter Pat McAfee did his part to lure Suh to sunny Indianapolis on Twitter the other day:
Miami Dolphins
Owner Steve Ross isn’t afraid to write big checks, the Dolphins have cleared a bunch of cap space and are in dire need of a run-stuffer. Again: Florida has no personal income tax.
Keep in mind that Miami has numerous other holes to fill — wide receiver, linebacker and cornerback, especially — so it might be hesitant to spend big on one player.
Chicago Bears
The Bears have a new coach, new general manager and around $25 million in cap space. They also ranked 30th in yards allowed per game last season. The need is there.
Detroit Lions
Finally, the Lions have until 3 p.m. on March 10 to re-sign Suh to a new long-term deal (they have exclusive negotiating rights with him through Friday), and team officials have long insisted that they have a plan for keeping Suh without slapping the franchise tag on him. But can the Lions and Suh figure out a financially feasible way to keep the best player on the league’s best defense in Detroit?
After spending the first 17 years of his Post career writing and editing, Matt and the printed paper had an amicable divorce in 2014. He's now blogging and editing for the Early Lead and the Post's other Web-based products.
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