OT: Lions not going to Franchise Suh
Looks as though his days in Detroit are done...
Link: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/02/lions-will-not-franchise-ndamukong-suh/?cid=Yahoo
I think this is a no brainer. As great of a player as he is, there is no way Suh is worth that much money.
This is a pretty classic no-win situation... Suh probably is worth the money if you can afford it; however, if you can afford it, I'd bet a dollar the rest of your under-payed team sucks and it wouldn't make much of a difference anyway.
I think Suh takes up too much cap room. The other problem is that he is a flag magnet. Refs are human; Suh makes it easy for them to perceive the Lions as "dirty" and call a disproportionate amount of penalties on them.
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Well, I'm not in the business of making predictions but I feel pretty comfortable saying Suh will be on an NFL roster next year... someone can afford him.
The Lions should have signed him to an extension years ago. Another dumb mistake by the front office.
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I'd think they would still do the Non-Exclusive Franchise tag...lock him up for a year at the "going rate" but give him the opportunity to negotiate long-term deals elsewhere. If someone else signs him, they give the Lions 2 First-Round picks.
Must be something going on that they wouldn't even take a shot at that.
to how the Broncos are handling Thomas
The "nonexclusive" tag makes it possible for other teams to negotiate with Thomas, although the Broncos would have the right to match any offer. Moreover, should the Broncos decide against matching an offer, the team signing away Thomas would have to compensate Denver with two first-round draft picks.
different tags. Either one obligates the Lions to pay Suh $26.9M for next season. Having that guarantee makes him harder to sign to a long term deal, since he has the option of simply waiting a year and testing the market then. I don't see another team offering him a deal while he has the non-exclusive tag. Make it one the Lions would happily match and you don't get a chance at Suh next year. Make it so high that the Lions won't match and you get hit with losing two #1s and the hit to your salary cap. You can't beat out the Lions by front loading the offer, since they would be prepared for a very big hit anyway in 2015. It's an unusual situation since Suh's franchise tag is extraordinarily high.
Yes - both would obligate the Lions to pay Suh $26.9M next season. However, (1) franchising him gives them time to negotiate a long-term deal if they so choose, else pay the $26.9; (2) it is a ONE-YEAR DEAL and no agent in his right mind would be happy with that, despite the high number - NFL contracts are NOT guaranteed, so if Suh went down to injury with a one-year deal, his short-term gain with a high $ contract is a long-term loss.
It behooves Suh to get the big payday he wants but spread it out with a long-term deal. He might get less in the first year on base salary (say $17-18M), but he would more than make that up with (a) longevity of the deal, and (b) signing bonuses he would get up front.
Just my .02.
take their chances on Fairley or just start fresh ?
Fairley is an unrestricted free agent too. If the Lions knew they weren't going to franchise Suh last year, they should have at least picked up Fairley's option to give themselves some flexibility this offseason. Now they probably won't have either back next season and will get nothing in return. What a clusterfuck.
I hope they'll keep Fairley. The opponent's YPC when Fairley was in but not Suh was something like 2.3 YPC, while the opponent's YPC when neither were in was in the 4s. It will be a huge dropoff if we return neither of them, unless they replace them with a 1st round pick.
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I still think he'll take a long term deal. I am glad they won't franchise tag him but it would be devestating for him to leave.
Fairley is maybe half the player Suh is and hurt all the time, good riddance to him.
is just too much to pay for a DT, even the best one in the NFL. They would have had to make some serious cuts to get under the salary cap.
I'd like him to stay, but not at that price.
more. And Suh isn't going to win anyone a Super Bowl.
I agree he's not going to be the missing piece to win a SB. Although the gambler in me says, "27 million for one shot at a Super Bowl? ok"
Good.
Although it'll suck to see Suh dominate somewhere else this is a good move. Losing Suh frees up some cap space and they can fill some of the holes in the secondary with that money.
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but it's still a big step backwards, as our biggest need now becomes DT...
The Lions don't really have anyone signed at that position now. Suh, Fairley, and Mosley are all UFA.
If he doesn't sign, we can go get some quality starters to make us better overall
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Sucks. The franchise tag is a huge expense, so I understand the reasoning - although I would still like to see them get draft picks if another team signs him (non-exclusive frachise tag route). I guess the risk is getting "stuck" with him and a huge salary for one more year if other teams aren't interested in negotiating. I'm torn. He was a beast last year, is durable, and a true game-changer. But tying up 20+ million/year in a DT is risky. Their window of opportunity with Suh was last year. This draft and free agency become extremely important to replenish the interior DL (and Fairley, in my mind, is not the answer).
My worst fear is seeing Suh in a Bears or Packers jersey. Actually, I fear heights and am claustrophobic, so Suh in a Bears or Packers jersey would probably be #3 on my list.
What is the downside of using the Non Exclusive tag? I dont get why they would not do this? This would ensure they would at least get draft picks if they cannot match. Seems like a no brainer. Am I missing something?
they put themselves in a position where they had no good options. This franchise is perpetualy doomed
how exactly is it good news that the Lions are losing their best player and the best DT in the game? And don't say that they couldn't afford to tag him. I understand that, but that is not a positive. That is just avoiding another giant negative.
but they won't!
We are talking about the Lions. Not only will we not be a destination location for most free agents, but the front office will likely otherwise fuck it up.
in 11 months. I have 58 years of history on my side. Suh is a game-changing player who brought an attitude to the Lions that, while detested by many, may well be responsible for the recent uptick. We don't get many of those players. Its alot of money--but he may be worth it. Illitch would spend it.
But they made the right move. I still think they'll make a play for him in FA. Suh will really have to decide if he wants the big $$$ to play in Oakland, take a hometown discount for Seattle, or take a fair offer from numerous other contenders, including the Lions.
Dear lord, I shudder to think at Seattle with Suh on them. LOB plus Michael Bennett, Avril, Suh, Wagner...
I saw this coming back in December when all the Suh jerseys(at Ford Field) were marked down.
I think this was absolutely the right move. As good as he is (and I think he's the best DT in the league) I don't think the Patriots or Seahawks would've spent the kind of money he was going to require to lock up. Paying him huge amounts would have been a Texans move. Letting him go is a Patriots move (the same type they employed w/ Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, Randy Moss, and Logan Mankins). Football is a team sport and I'm glad to see the Lions focus on spreading money across the whole team.
If Suh thinks anyone in the NFL is going to pay him 20 million a year, over a long-term contract he's delusional.
He may even be worth it, but you just can't do that in the NFL and have a successful team.
There are top 8 quarterbacks in the NFL that don't make that money (although some are close).
Edit: Does anyone know what the lions offered him? Or is there factual information about what he actually wants? I've heard too many soundbytes that say he wants 20ish a year, but I am curious what has actually been legitimately reported, if anything.