The Miami Dolphins have officially signed defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. As one of the top defensive players in the league, Suh was the biggest name in free agency. He was already one of the highest-paid players in the league a season ago, and he will remain as such on his new six-year deal worth $114 million, with $60 million coming in the first three years.
Ndamukong Suh signs record deal with Dolphins
The NFL’s top free agent is headed to Miami.
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Players of Suh's caliber rarely reach the open market. The Detroit Lions didn't give him up without a fight, however. They were willing to pay $17 million per year with $58 million guaranteed to hold on to Suh, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The offer surpassed the record six-year, $100 million deal that Texans defensive end J.J. Watt signed last offseason, but it was just below the $19 million per year the Dolphins are set to give Suh.
There was even talk that the Lions could use the franchise tag on Suh. His massive 2014 salary would have made the move incredibly expensive, though. Under the franchise tag, Suh would have been owed a 120 percent of his 2014 salary, putting his 2015 cost at just over $25 million. On top of that, the Lions already had dead money on the 2015 books for Suh, in the amount of $9.7 million.
That dead money is there no matter what -- it didn’t matter if Suh signed with someone else, played on the franchise tag or signed a long-term deal with Detroit.
Suh has been a dominant force along the defensive line, even if he doesn’t have sexy stats to back it up. He’s been asked to eat up space a lot more in recent seasons, and he does that as well as anyone, all while disrupting the quarterback more often than naught. He put up 8.5 sacks with 53 tackles this past season. Suh has been named to four Pro Bowls (missing out in 2011) and was named a first-team All-Pro four times (missing out on 2012, when he was named to the second team).
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