Ndamukong Suh - Pro Football Rumors

Chargers Rumors: Suh, Flowers, Cobb, OL

March 7th, 2015 at 5:37pm CST by Luke Adams

We hadn’t heard the Chargers linked to many big-name free agents before today, but – armed with about $26MM in cap room – it seems the team is prepared to make some noise this coming week. Here’s the latest out of San Diego:

The Chargers are preparing to make a run at Ndamukong Suh, joining a long list of potential suitors for 2015’s top free agent, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Albert Breer of the NFL Network adds (via Twitter) that sources from teams who are in the mix for Suh suggest the bidding could reach $18MM+ per year, and the Chargers may not be willing to go quite that high to land the star defensive tackle.
According to Rapoport (via Twitter), the Chargers are making a “hard push” to hang onto Brandon Flowers, and there’s a good chance the team will be able to bring back the veteran cornerback. No agreement has been reached yet, but Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun also reports (via Twitter) that Flowers is expected to remain in San Diego.
Eyeing potential offensive lineman help, with Nick Hardwick and Jeromey Clary having retired at season’s end, the Chargers are expected to pursue 49ers guard Mike Iupati, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter), the club may also be in on Broncos lineman Orlando Franklin. Iupati is widely regarded as the top interior lineman available this month, so Franklin may be a Plan B if the team is unable to land the veteran Niner.
Within the previously-linked story, Gehlken notes that Randall Cobb is considered a free agent worth keeping an eye on for the Chargers as well. That seems like a long shot, but perhaps it would become more plausible if San Diego strikes out on its other top targets.

Dolphins Confident About Chances For Suh

March 6th, 2015 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

All week, we’ve been told that the Dolphins will be a team to watch in the Ndamukong Suh sweepstakes, and today, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald confirms that the team’s interest in the All-Pro defensive tackle is very legit. According to Salguero, the Dolphins are confident that they can put a “great offer” on the table for Suh, and potentially sign him.

While Salguero cautions that Suh-to-Miami is far from a certainty at this point, given all the factors – and suitors – in play, the Dolphins will “definitely” be involved in the bidding, and are confident about their chances of landing the Lions star. Miami will have plenty of competition — in addition to the Lions, teams that have been cited this week as potential bidders for Suh include the Giants, Colts, and Washington, and Salguero adds the Jaguars and Titans to that list as well.

As Salguero details, Suh will be looking to become the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL, which will likely mean a six-year deal averaging $17MM annually, for a total of $102MM. That would just barely edge out J.J. Watt‘s six-year, $100MM contract. The guarantee for Suh will be significant as well. Salguero suggests that at least $30MM will have to be fully guaranteed, with potentially another $25MM or so in additional guarantees.

The Dolphins will have an advantage over a few other teams in the mix for Suh due to the lack of state tax in Florida. However, the Jaguars are also in Florida, which may make them Miami’s toughest competition for the former second overall pick.

Whether or not the Dolphins land Suh, the club will be looking at potential free agent additions at multiple positions on defense, writes Salguero, pointing to middle linebacker and the secondary as two spots where the team could use upgrades.

North Notes: Suh, Hoyer, Cutler, Tulloch

March 5th, 2015 at 9:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

When he officially becomes a free agent next Tuesday, Ndamukong Suh is expected to garner a “massive” contract, in the words of Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who hears from insiders that the Lions defensive tackle could receive $17MM per year with as much as $60MM guaranteed.

That guaranteed figure in particular sounds high, as that total would be the highest in the NFL (Aaron Rodgers currently is No. 1 with $54MM in guarantees). However, with the league-wide salary cap continuing to rise, and a number of clubs enjoying ample amounts of cap space, nothing is out of the question. La Canfora adds that the Dolphins are hot on Suh’s trail, noting that if Miami doesn’t add the 28-year-old, it “won’t be for lack of effort.”

Here’s more from the North divisions…

After the Browns signed Josh McCown last month, fellow quarterback Brian Hoyer‘s tenure in Cleveland presumably came to an end. Hoyer confirmed as much to Jim Corbett of USA Today, saying that he’ll be looking to compete for a starting job elsewhere. “It’s good for both sides to get a fresh start and go our separate ways,” said Hoyer, who should sit near the top free agent QB market alongside Mark Sanchez.
Though not a free agent like Hoyer, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has been the subject of just as many rumors during the offseason, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms what most already suspected: teams around the league know that Cutler is available via trade. I outlined why it could be difficult for Chicago to deal Cutler in our Bears’ Offseason Outlook.
Via an Instagram post, Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch indicates that he’ll return to Detroit next season. Tulloch isn’t a free agent, but his $5.8MM 2015 cap hit, combined with an ACL injury, lead to speculation that he’d be released. Tulloch is reportedly progressing well in his recovery, and while his post obviously doesn’t make his return official, one can assume that Lions management has told him he’ll be retained.

Raiders Plan To Host Suh For Visit

March 5th, 2015 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

In just two days, Ndamukong Suh‘s agent will be able to speak to teams besides the Lions, and there has been no shortage of clubs with reported interest in the star defensive lineman. The Dolphins, Colts, Giants, and Washington are among the teams who have been identified as likely suitors for Suh since the Lions opted not to franchise him on Monday.

Of course, throughout the process, the Raiders have been viewed as one of Suh’s top potential suitors, given the team’s abundance of cap space and the way the defensive tackle would fit into the team’s 4-3 scheme. According to Mike Silver of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Oakland’s interest in Suh is very real — the Raiders are planning to bring the former second overall pick in for a visit next week.

If any team is poised to overpay Suh in free agency this month, it may be the Raiders. The club has the second-most cap room in the NFL, needs to increase its spending over the next two years to reach the minimum threshold, and could badly use a difference-making player like Suh. While Oakland’s defensive tackles weren’t terrible in 2014, Pat Sims, Justin Ellis, and Antonio Smith all recorded sub-par overall grades according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required).

Of course, the Lions still have a few days to work out an agreement with Suh before he’s eligible to sign with another team on Tuesday. However, having come this far, it seems unlikely that Suh wouldn’t take the opportunity to at least hear pitches from rival suitors, even if he ultimately decides to return to Detroit.

Extra Points: Suh, Flowers, Titans, NFLPA

March 5th, 2015 at 11:24am CST by Zachary Links

The money could get silly for guys like Ndamukong Suh and Darrelle Revis since some teams will need to spend to reach the cap minimum and a lack of in-house guys to reward could push free agent prices through the roof, says Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter links). Here’s more from around the NFL:

The Dolphins and Colts are expected to make the strongest pushes for Suh, multiple league sources told Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Both teams have been heavily linked to the impending free agent defensive tackle in recent days.
Appearing today on the NFL Network, cornerback Brandon Flowers said he’d like to remain with the Chargers, and is in discussions with the club about a new deal, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. Flowers described his situation as win-win: “If I stay in San Diego, it’s a place I loved stepping in from Day 1. It’s a nice place to live, and with a quarterback like Philip Rivers, you always have a chance. And if I’m not able to go back, I’m going to the free agency market.”
Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean looked at the Titans‘ free agents and ran down which ones the team should look to re-sign. The top priorities, he says, should be linebacker Derrick Morgan, punter Brett Kern, and defensive lineman Karl Klug.
Former NFLPA staff counsel Arthur McAfee is officially on the ballot for the upcoming executive director election, tweets Getlin. Jim Acho, a Michigan attorney running for the job, has also been told he has the three nominations needed to get on the final ballot, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Additionally, sports advisor Rob London tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) that he also received the necessary recommendations from player reps to qualify as a candidate. There are now eight candidates in the mix for the position.
In this week’s mailbag, a reader asked Mike Klis of the Denver Post if the Broncos would consider former fan favorite Peyton Hillis at fullback. If he were a bit more spry, Hillis would be close to an ideal fullback in Gary Kubiak‘s system, but even then he’s still too small for the position.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFC North Notes: Peterson, Suh, Guion

March 4th, 2015 at 9:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Adrian Peterson has been the model of consistency as an NFL running back, Michael Rand of the Star Tribune writes. The question now is, will he continue to bring that on-field consistency for the Vikings? The latest on that and other news from the NFC North..

Peterson met with Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman, but it doesn’t sound like he’s quite ready to kiss and make up. “I appreciate Rick and Coach Zimmer coming down to see me today,” Peterson said in a statement, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN (via Twitter). “We had a great dialogue and they were able to understand where I was coming from and concerns my family and I still have. We respect each other and hopefully the situation can pan out so that everyone involved is content.”
Packers defensive tackle and pending free agent Letroy Guion has agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement, which will result in probation, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. Packers general manager Ted Thompson said last month at the NFL scouting combine that the team is monitoring Guion’s situation and coach Mike McCarthy has indicated that he’d be open to having him back. Tyler Dunne of the Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter), meanwhile, spoke to the State Attorney’s office and heard that no agreement has been reached yet. If the end result is probation for Guion, it’ll be highly preferable to jail, which was a possibility.
The Lions are focused on keeping their own, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. They haven’t given up on keeping Ndamukong Suh – even though it’ll be tough – and they’ve had productive talks with fellow free agent defensive tackle Nick Fairley this week.

Free Agent Rumors: Spiller, Suh, Harris

March 4th, 2015 at 5:14pm CST by Luke Adams

League sources tell Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link) that C.J. Spiller turned down a contract offer worth $4.5MM per year from the Bills before the team decided to make a move for LeSean McCoy. It’s hard to evaluate Spiller’s decision without knowing how Buffalo’s offer was structured, but presumably the running back will be trying to top that number on the open market next week. More free agent rumors..

Russini also reports (via Twitter) that the Colts are expected to try to get involved in the Ndamukong Suh derby, if the star defender reaches the open market. Washington, Miami, and the Giants have also been identified as potential suitors this week.
Expect the Bills to put on a “full court press” for linebacker David Harris, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, using a cross-sport metaphor. Buffalo was already considered a potential landing spot for Harris due to the Rex Ryan connection, and the trade of Kiko Alonso makes it an even more obvious fit.
The 49ers are expected to be in the mix for newly-available edge defender Trent Cole, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Cole would likely be a better fit in a 4-3 system, but he’s been effective enough in Philadelphia over the last two seasons that it looks like 3-4 teams won’t rule out pursuing him.
Former Packers wide receiver Kevin Dorsey had been scheduled to visit with the 49ers on Tuesday, but the two sides had to cancel the meeting due to bad weather on the East Coast, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. San Francisco is hoping to reschedule Dorsey’s visit, but hasn’t done so yet, per agent Chad Wiestling.
Expect the Giants to kick the tires of Devin McCourty if he makes it to the open market, tweets Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. Giants safeties Antrel Rolle, Quintin Demps, and Stevie Brown are all eligible for free agency, so the safety position is wide open in New York.
Veteran defensive end Chris Canty, cut by the Ravens last week, is scheduled to visit the Jets on Friday and Saturday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). New Jets head coach Todd Bowles and defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers were both on the coaching staff in Dallas from 2005 to 2007 when Canty started his NFL career with the Cowboys.

East Notes: Dolphins, Suh, Dez, Maclin, McCoy

March 4th, 2015 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Giants are right to consider making a run at Ndamukong Suh, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes. The Giants aren’t well-positioned to outbid anyone, but if they were able to pull it off, the team could have a pass rush to rival what they had in 2007 with Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, and Justin Tuck.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two East divisions, including one more item on Suh:

We heard the Dolphins mentioned as a possible suitor for Suh earlier this week, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk lays out the reasons why Miami actually may emerge as the favorites to land the star defensive tackle, with teams like the Raiders, Jaguars, Buccaneers being floated for potential leverage rather than as legit bidders.
Last week, former Dallas County DA Craig Watkins indicated that he had “no knowledge” of any 2011 Wal-Mart incident involving Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, but a report of the incident did, in fact, make its way to his office about a year after the fact, as Florio explains at PFT.
It looked for a little while as if the Eagles and Jeremy Maclin were getting close to a new deal, but the two sides are farther apart now, and the wideout is starting to get “nibbles,” tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports backs up this assessment, tweeting that there’s “work to be done” on the Maclin front for the Eagles.
While running back LeSean McCoy initially wasn’t thrilled about the trade that will send him to the Bills, a source tells McLane (Twitter link) that the veteran back is “ready to move on.” We rounded up several more updates on the reported swap between the Eagles and Bills earlier this morning.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap previews the Patriots‘ offseason, suggesting that it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team lets both of its free agent running backs – Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley – sign elsewhere.
Veteran safety Jordan Pugh, who last appeared in a regular season game for Washington in 2013, recently worked out for the Jets, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Giants Considering Run At Ndamukong Suh

March 3rd, 2015 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Although it seems “improbable” on the surface, the Giants are believed to be considering a run at Ndamukong Suh, assuming he reaches the open market next week, sources tell Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.

The Lions elected not to place the franchise tag on Suh yesterday, and his potential suitors are starting to come out of the woodwork — Washington is said to have interest, while the Dolphins have been identified as a possible wild card candidate. As I noted while discussing Washington’s interest, there aren’t many teams in the NFL that wouldn’t love to add Suh to the mix on the defensive line, so a ton of times will likely kick the tires on him if given the opportunity.

For the Giants, defensive line isn’t necessarily a top priority, since the team used its own franchise tag on Jason Pierre-Paul yesterday, and has Johnathan Hankins as an anchor on the interior. However, adding Suh to the mix to complement JPP, Hankins, and pass rusher Robert Ayers would give New York one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL.

Of course, cap space would be a concern for the Giants. At the moment, the club has about $13MM in room, which could be enough to accommodate Suh, depending on how a contract is structured and what other moves are forthcoming. However, it wouldn’t leave much flexibility to address other areas of need — a team source tells Vacchiano that New York is unlikely to engage in a bidding war. On top of that, if the team hopes to work out a longer-term arrangement with Pierre-Paul, investing so heavily on two defensive lineman could come back to haunt the team down the road.

While there may ultimately be too many roadblocks for the Giants to get serious about pursuing Suh, the team’s reported interest is another sign that the star defender will have more than just a handful of suitors as he nears unrestricted free agency.

East Notes: Pats, Dolphins, Suh

March 2nd, 2015 at 8:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Bill Belichick knocked pretty much every single free agent decision out of the park last year en route to a championship, and Ben Volin of The Boston Globe is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the Patriots perplexing decision to franchise kicker Stephen Gostkowski over safety Devin McCourty. After all, at $9.6MM, that’s a steep price to pay for McCourty and the Rutgers product himself would have been thrilled to get it, even as he seeks a new long-term deal. The Patriots are playing hardball with McCourty and Darrelle Revis now, but there’s still an entire week to hammer out these deals. More from the AFC and NFC East..

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (via Twitter) sees the Dolphins as a wildcard candidate to land coveted defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Earlier today, we learned that Washington has interest in Suh after the Lions opted not to use the franchise tag on him.
Giants star Jason Pierre-Paul will command a huge contract once he has the franchise tag removed, Adam Schefter tells ESPN New York’s Michael Kay (audio link).
Veteran linebacker Brad Jones was won over by the Eagles‘ culture, prompting him to sign with them, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes. “From the first day you get here … you kind of realize it’s a different kind of thing they got out here,” the former Packer said via conference call. “It’s unique. I wanted to be a part of that.”
The Eagles overlooked adding an inside linebacker last offseason and they made sure not to repeat the same mistake this time around when they made Jones their first addition, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.