After much debate and speculation, the Detroit Lions will not apply the franchise tag to All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. If a deal is not reached by March 10, Suh will be free to sign with any team. Teams expected to make a significant push to sign him are Jacksonville, Oakland, and the NY Jets, among others.
Applying the franchise tag to Suh would have cost the Lions somewhere in the neighborhood of $26 million. That would be nearly 19% of the teams 2015 salary cap. Couple with that the contracts of Quarterback Matthew Stafford, Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson, and franchising Suh would have accounted for nearly 40% of the teams salary.
Ndamukong Suh was taken #2 overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2010 NFL Draft out of the University of Nebraska. In his 5 seasons he has 180 tackles, and 36 sacks. Suh was named Rookie of the Year in 2010. He was an integral part of the top ranked defense the Lions put forward in 2014.
This begs the question, are the Lions working on something long-term to keep Suh in the Motor City? Or are they content with saving money, and acquiring players through the draft and free agency to make up for the loss that is Suh? That answer will come by March 10th when free agency officially begins.