COLUMN: Lions made right call not to tag Suh


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Detroit Lions' Ndamukong Suh stop the Buffalo Bills' C.J. Spiller during fourth quarter action at Ford Field in Detroit Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014. THe Bills beat the Lions 17-14. (Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

Pressure is at an all-time high. Let the bidding begin.

The Detroit Lions have until 4 p.m. March 9 before their best defensive player in decades is gone for good.

On Monday the Lions chose not to use a franchise tag on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Paying one player $26.9 million for one season is too much. It’s not a smart financial move for an organization looking to add more than one piece to the currently incomplete puzzle.

Suh is the kind of player that will demand top dollar. He is worth it. He is one of the best defensive players ever to wear an NFL uniform.

Do the Lions already have a deal in the works? We don't know.

We heard last month from Lions President Tom Lewand that he was confident in getting a deal done with Suh.

Is he still confident?

I believe the Lions have the best chance to sign Suh, but I don't believe a deal will get done before he will enter free agency.

Beginning March 7, other teams will begin negotiations with Suh.

Detroit needs to jump now or else the best player on their team may be wearing a different uniform next season.

The ball is now in Suh’s court. He knows his value and so does every NFL team looking to add him to their team.

J.J. Watt, a former Chippewa, signed a six-year, $100-million deal with the Houston Texans last season. Watt is regarded by most fans as the second-best defensive player in the league.

Suh will make more than that and become the highest paid defensive player in the history of the NFL.

Affording Suh won’t be a problem for the Lions. Other players including wide receiver Calvin Johnson have said they will do “anything” to keep Suh in Honolulu blue.

It’s a matter of whether Suh wants to be in Detroit.

Many media outlets have been reporting he wants to leave. Many have also said the Lions are the favorites to re-sign him, but that was before this week.

Has anything changed?

The money has to be right.

Winning is important to Suh and Detroit gives him a good chance to win now and make top dollar. That is, if they want to go that high.

Suh is a once-in-a-generation type of talent. As an organization building, for now and for the future, the Lions have to be careful.

The contract has to be good for all parties involved. Spending wisely is always priority. You cannot be foolish.

A deal will get done and the Lions front office knows many things we don't know.

They know Suh’s interest level. They know if he wants to stay.

I believe Suh will be in a Detroit Lions uniform for many years and not using the franchise tag on Monday did not mark the end of his time with this team.

He isn’t just a building block. Suh is the foundation of a team that is now winning due in large part to his production.

Winning may not sound too familiar to the Lions yet, but with Suh on board it would seem probable for years to come.

 

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