Terrell Suggs' future in Baltimore is now secure after the outside linebacker and the Ravens agreed to a four-year extension on Monday. Suggs' contract was set to expire following the 2014 season, but the new deal will keep him in Baltimore for the foreseeable future while also providing the Ravens with some salary cap relief.
NFL news: Ravens, Terrell Suggs agree to 4-year extension
“Sizzle is here for life,” Terrell Suggs on his new contract.
Rob Carr
The 31-year-old Suggs bounced back last season after missing half the 2012 season due to an Achilles’ injury. He finished the 2013 season with 80 tackles and 10.0 sacks. He’s established a reputation as one of the better pass rushers in the NFL, but more than held his own against the run last season. He was scheduled to count $12.4 million against the cap next season. That number drops to $7.8 million with the new deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The savings is significant for the Ravens who are up against the salary cap and have a number of key players scheduled to hit free agency.
Jason Butt of Baltimore Beatdown wrote the move will allow the Ravens to make a run at some of their pending free agents before they hit the market.
With the Ravens locking Suggs up, it will allow them to focus on other offseason priorities. That includes bringing back soon-to-be free agent Dennis Pitta and making Eugene Monroe the left tackle of the future.
The extension will keep the former Defensive Player of the Year in Baltimore through the 2018 season. He’d be 36 years old when the contract expires, possibly making it the last deal of his career. Suggs said the deal means he will be a Raven for his entire NFL career.
"Sizzle is here for life" - Terrell Suggs
— Kris Jones (@RavenManiac) February 17, 2014 Suggs has racked up 94.5 sacks during his 11-year NFL career, including five seasons with double-digit sack totals. He needs 5.5 sacks next season to become the 31st player in NFL history to top the 100 sack mark. If he’s able to maintain a high level of production throughout the contract, he could potentially climb into the top 10 on the career sack list.
Alex Mack is scheduled to hit free agency in March, but the Browns will attempt to sign him to a new deal before he lands on the open market. The 28-year-old started 80 straight games, consistently playing at a high level. Mack could command a deal making him the highest-paid center in the league. Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature wrote front-loading the deal, could help the Browns in the long run:
Because of Cleveland’s excessive cap space, it would be really nice to sign Mack for that type of money, but front-load his contract this year with guaranteed money -- that way, you could make him the highest paid center in the league while we have excess cap space in 2014, but he would have a much lower cap hit in future years, allowing us more freedom to sign other players down the road.
Following a solid debut season, the 49ers and Anquan Boldin are discussing a deal to keep the wide receiver in San Francisco. The 33-year-old Boldin caught 85 passes for 1,179 yards last season after being acquired in an offseason trade. Jason Hurley of Niners Nation took a look at comparable deals and laid out some possible framework for an extension:
If I was the one doing the negotiating, I would seek a 3-year deal, worth $18 million, with a $6.5 million signing bonus. I believe this deal is fair for both the 49ers, and Boldin.
After being released by Detroit last week, Louis Delmas can get a jump start on free agency and is free to sign now. He took advantage of the head start by taking a trip to visit the Pittsburgh Steelers. Injuries were an issue for Delmas earlier in his career, but he played all 16 games last season. Still, his contract was a bit too rich for the Lions, who saved $6 million in salary cap space by releasing him.
Neal Coolong of Behind the Steel Curtain wrote Delmas could be a replacement for Ryan Clark, who is a pending free agent.
Clark could still play in the NFL, given a chance, but Delmas, who was a cap casualty in Detroit, appears to have more speed in his legs and could be a valuable addition to a team that also is looking at the free agent loss of veteran Will Allen.
Although the Lions released him, Detroit is reportedly interested in re-signing Delmas to a more cost-effective deal. As Sean Yuille of Pride of Detroit noted, Delmas visited San Francisco and St. Louis in free agency last year, before ultimately re-signing with the Lions.
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