Ndamukong Suh highlights the 2015 free agency class as several teams would love to get ahold of the defensive end. Suh's focus is on getting paid and hopefully become the highest-paid defensive player in the league, ranking ahead of JJ Watt. The Detroit Lions have made it very clear that retaining Suh for the future is a top priority for the franchise. Is a deal coming sooner than some expect?
According to ESPN.com, the Lions are the favorites to re-sign Suh before the defensive end even has a chance to get to free agency. The Lions and Suh have been having brief contract talks since the end of the season and things appear to be moving in a positive direction that could mean the defensive end gets inked in the coming weeks. A deal for Suh is likely to be more than the $100 million deal Watt signed last year with the Houston Texans. However, signing Suh to that kind of money could put a serious strain on the team's salary cap.
ESPN reports that a contract for Suh would mean likely losing a player like Calvin Johnson. This has been speculated since Suh became a priority for the team simply because the wide receiver's contract is a huge salary cap hit next season. Johnson is set to count $20.6 million against the cap next year while quarterback Matthew Stafford is a $17.7 million hit and then escalates to a $22 million hit the following two years. Johnson would be the casualty over Stafford.
Johnson told the Detroit Free Press that he will "do whatever I got to do" in order to stay in Detroit while letting Suh get his money. That likely means restructuring his contract and moving money around in order to lessen his impact. Johnson could have a lot of his money moved into signing bonuses or be guaranteed in the back-half of his deal instead of this season.
Several others players will likely be out if Suh gets re-signed. Reggie Bush could be a casualty considering the number of years left on his contract. The running back has stressed that he wants to return in 2015, but the rise of Joique Bell makes him expendable. The same can likely be said for players like Jeremy Ross or Ryan Broyles. Brandon Pettigrew could also be out after the improvement of Eric Ebron. Suh is the priority means the Lions will what is necessary to avoid the defensive end hitting the market for a bidding war on his talents.
