Ndamukong Suh free agency rumors: Defensive tackle reportedly signing with Dolphins

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.

The earliest Suh can sign a deal is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and even if he agreed in principle with the Dolphins, he could still choose to return to Detroit. Earlier reports said that the Lions offered the All-Pro tackle $17 million per year and $58 million guaranteed. The deal Suh is set to ink with Miami would earn him around $19 million per year with $60 million guaranteed.

Without the franchise tag in place, the Lions will have until next Tuesday to reach an agreement on a new contract with Suh, or the four-time Pro Bowler will be free to test the waters in the open market. Given the slow pace on negotiations between the two sides, it could be difficult to bridge the gap, but it might be in Suh’s best interest to strike a deal with the Lions, a team that has used him in a way that highlights what he does best.

Suh, 28, has four Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro nods in five seasons with the Lions, racking up 36 sacks in 78 starts. The cost of applying the franchise tag to the defensive tackle was just too high for the team, though, and would’ve ate much of the team’s salary cap.