Now that the dust of the Suh-pocalypse has settled, fans of the Detroit Lions are anxious to see their newest star defensive tackle to take the field. The Lions acquired Ngata in a trade from the Baltimore Ravens on March 10th. The Lions sent their 4th (122 overall)and 5th round (158 overall) picks in this year's draft to the Ravens in exchange for Ngata and Baltimore's 7th round pick (231 overall via Miami Dolphins).
The 6' 4" 340 pound Ngata is not expected to fill the void left by Ndamukong Suh. Suh is the type of player that can't be replaced by one player, based on his number of snaps per game at that position. Suh played between 80%-85% of his snaps in his five years with the Lions.
However, Ngata, the five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle is no slouch. He has great speed for his size and tremendous athleticism. Coach Jim Caldwell uttered these sentiments at the NFL Owners meetings this week: “I don’t know, you guys do your research, he played rugby when he was in high school and his father was a great rugby player was well. This guy can run, and he’s an athlete.” Ngata's former coach John Harbaugh expressed similar feelings in comments last week : "He's been a mainstay for us as a player and a leader, and it's going to be something that we're going to have to deal with and overcome." Harbaugh said. "It was a great addition for the Lions. It's going to make them a better team in every way."
Ngata played college football at the University of Oregon. He decided to leave Oregon a year early because his mother, 'Ofa, was in the early stages of kidney dialysis. She died from her illness on January 13, 2006. Ngata was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round (12th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft. In nine seasons with the Ravens totaled 281 tackles, 25.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and 5 interceptions.
The one blemish on the career of Ngata came in 2014 after being suspended by the NFL for four games by violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Ngata was humiliated when the test results came in, but he did not dispute what he did. "I took Adderall and take full responsibility for doing this." Ngata said. "I am deeply sorry and broken up over this. I let down my family, my teammates, Ravens fans and myself."
All in all this is a great acquisition for the Detroit Lions. There weren't any high profile DT's in free agency, and even what depth there may have been in free agency at the position, were overpaid.
Should the Lions attempt to sign Ngata to an extension?
The burning question(s) among many Lions fans is : Will they offer Haloti Ngata a contract extension? Should they offer him an extension? Ngata is due to make $8.5 million in 2015, the same as his cap number. He averaged over $12 million per year for the duration of his previous contract (2011-2015). Ngata plays a high snap count for a man of his size. He hit his highest snap percentage of 78.2 in 2012 and has dropped since, with 68.8 percent in 2013 and 66.1 percent in 2014, according to Pro Football focus. Between his snap count, and recent PED usage, it seems difficult to commit to Ngata long term. The team can always work out an extension during the season if they like what they see.
With the dead money of Ndamukong Suh, Chris Houston, and Reggie Bush coming off of the books at the end of 2015, the Lions will find with plenty of money under the cap. The Lions will pay about $17.4 million this season to players not currently on the roster. Any deal with Ngata will save them money short term, but as most contracts are back loaded could find themselves in the same predicament in a couple seasons. In 2016 Stafford and Johnson will combine for a cap number in the neighborhood of $46.5 million.
Haloti Ngata will be well received by the Detroit Lions fans, and most fans feel that Lions GM Martin Mayhew is scrambling to come up with a plan after the errors in assessing the Ndamukong Suh situation. According to multiple sources, Mayhew said he expects the Lions to pursue an extension with Haloti Ngata, but those discussions have yet to begin