Jim Caldwell held his last press conference of the season on Monday and shed light on a number of topics including the re-signing of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
Unless you have been living under a very large rock, you know that Ndamukong Suh is eligible for free agency this upcoming offseason. Suh will most certainly be a top free agent target for most teams this offseason including the Detroit Lions who, according to Jim Caldwell, have made signing the all-pro defensive linemen a top priority.
Caldwell said signing Ndamukong Suh will be one of the organizations biggest priorities moving forward
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) January 5, 2015
Suh had his best season since his NFL debut in 2010. His 8.5 sacks and 46 tackles represent the second best year of his career. Despite nearly being suspended for the wild card game against Dallas after stepping on Aaron Rodgers injured calf, Ndamukong Suh has also been relatively well-behaved the last couple of seasons.
Solid production, good behavior and a bright future for the team should be enough to encourage Ndamukong to sign with Detroit for 2015 and beyond. The question that remains is whether or not Suh wants to be in Detroit.
Just a couple of weeks ago Ndamukong Suh told reporters that he would let his agent Jimmy Sexton pick his next team. Those comments led many to believe that Suh was looking for a payday and nothing more.
Related Post: Ndamukong Suh Will Let Agent Decide
If Detroit can come up with what will likely be JJ Watt kind of money, will he stay with the Lions?
Suh’s true motivation is a mystery to nearly everyone but his inner circle which is small and very tight. Detroit Lions insider Tim Twentyman described it best when he wrote this in a recent column.
"Suh doesn’t let a lot of people in. He has a very tight inner circle, and if you’re not in said circle, there’s a good chance you’re not going to know the real Ndamukong Suh. And the thing is, he doesn’t care what you think of him if you’re not in that circle. That rubs some people the wrong way.People I’ve talked to who are close to him use words like “compassionate” and “lovable” when talking about Suh. The rest of America, unfortunately, doesn’t get to see that side of him.Suh is intelligent and well spoken when talking to the media, but no one in the media really knows the real Suh."
It remains to be seen whether or not Ndamukong Suh can be convinced to stay. But the big question for the Detroit Lions is whether or not they need him too.
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First let me make one thing clear, Ndamukong Suh is a one of a kind player and a once in a lifetime talent. That said he can be replaced in the line-up.
George Johnson and CJ Mosely thrived under Teryl Austin’s system this season. Barring Austin getting a head coaching gig, that development should continue in 2015. Used in a rotation the two could be effective at stopping the run and clogging up the middle of the line. Nick Fairley, also a free agent, might also return and could serve as lower cost option to replacing Suh in the line-up.
Will those three players ever be able to duplicate Suh’s production, maybe not, but they could be a suitable alternative to spending an inordinate amount of cap space on one defensive player.
By saying Ndamukong Suh is a top priority Jim Caldwell is doing what he needs to if the Detroit Lions have any hope of re-signing him. But with the amount of money it will take to re-sign him, hopefully the Detroit Lions are spending just as much time working on who will replace him.