The Oakland Raiders have money to burn in free agency and Ndamukong Suh is expected to a target for the team along with the Cleveland Browns, NY Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals, as those teams may also be interested in signing the Detroit Lions All-Pro defensive tackle as a free agent this winter.
Suh is very likely to leave the Lions, as he is expected to get a massive contract and the team simply cannot afford another huge deal. The team has money tied up in Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford and that could stop the team from shelling out more for Suh. According to ESPN.com, Adam Schefter reports that Suh could be looking to get a deal in the range of JJ Watt and that could mean up to $50 million guaranteed.
Schefter writes that Suh is likely to sign elsewhere in the offseason, as the Lions have a number of free agents they need to keep and may not be willing to meet his price. According to the Detroit Free Press, the two sides did "not get close" on a deal and now it looks like he will be out on the market. The team could use the franchise tag on Suh, but that would put the Lions in another major bind, as that would cost over $25 million on the salary cap. Lions GM Martin Mayhew spoke about Suh after the season and said that "all options" are on the table, but the franchise tag seems unwieldy for the team.
The Lions are also potentially losing Nick Fairley to the free agent market and that makes things tough as well. The team has been the top ranked rushing defense recently and they did that again this year and now losing either Suh or Fairley or both could be devastating. Suh is one of the most talented players in the NFL despite his issues on the field and that could lead to a massive contract. Charles Robinson at Yahoo pointed out that the Jaguars, Browns and Raiders will have cap space to make offers, while Schefter added the Bears, Jets and Giants as options, because Suh has said he would be open to playing in those cities.
Suh comes in after putting up 8.5 sacks and 43 tackles last season and he played in all 16 games. Suh has not missed time since 2011 and he comes in after putting up 8.0 and 5.5 sacks in the previous two seasons. Stats are not always the best way to rank DTs, as Suh is the top player at his position whether the numbers say so or not. Teams game plan around him and that is why he should be a top target on the market.
The Raiders have a ton of money and their defense was a mess last season and that could lead to a deal for Suh. The Browns also have a ton of space and they could look at signing Suh to help revamp that defensive line. The Jets and Giants are also potential options, as Suh has said New York is an appealing place for him to play. The Bengals may make a big move, while the Jaguars or Atlanta Falcons could step up and snag Suh.
