Ndamukong Suh has been the cornerstone of the Detroit Lions defense since he was drafted in the first round. The defensive end certainly comes with controversy, but there is no denying the threat he is on the field. However, while it was once believed Suh was a franchise player for the Lions, that might no longer be the case. Dealing with salary cap constraints, the Lions are fully prepared to let the defensive end hit the market and test his worth.
According to Tim Twentyman of the Detroit Lions' team website, the team will not be using their franchise tag on the Suh by the 4 p.m. deadline. This has been a subject of controversy over the past few weeks. The Lions have maintain the stance that they intend to keep Suh around for the long-term, but the defensive end is currently demanding he become the highest-paid defensive player in the league which could come to the grand total of around $27 million salary. On top of that, the franchise tag for Suh could result in him being a $22 million cap hit after his rookie contract was restructured.
The Lions cannot afford Suh at his current value. The team did announce on Friday that they were releasing Reggie Bush, but that simply did not save enough space for the defensive star. Matthew Stafford is going nowhere. It seems highly unlikely the Lions would trade or release Calvin Johnson and those two players combine for a solid portion of the cap space. Someone must be left out and that could potentially be Suh as he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
In the short-term, the Lions can re-sign Nick Fairley. The defensive tackle is set to be a free agent and according to Josina Anderson of ESPN, the two sides have had very positive talks about a potential contract. Fairley is certainly a cheaper option for Detroit. He is coming off a struggling season that saw him get benched at one point, but the Lions apparently see something in him.
There is a market for Suh. Several teams will be eyeing the defensive end who is looking more to favor money than wins. The Oakland Raiders are preparing to enter the season with $54 million in cap space before a few more releases are likely to happen. The Indianapolis Colts have $44 million. The Jets have $50 million. According to ESPN, Suh reportedly favors the idea of going to New York in order to help build up endorsement deals. Teams can afford the high-priced defensive end as the Lions prepare to let go of him.
