The Detroit Lions failed to come to an agreement with two-time All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh prior to the start of training camp and general manager Martin Mayhew and team president Tom Lewand decided it was best to table the talks until the end of the season.
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According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Lewand remains optimistic a deal will be reached, but if the two parties can’t come to an agreement on the former No. 2 pick out of Nebraska, what does that mean for the Lions and Suh?
The franchise tag is an option and the Lions can tag Suh two times, although they would run the risk of Suh holding out of mandatory as well as the voluntary workouts he skipped this season, but Lewand and Mathew mention is as a possibility.
Mayhew: "I think it's possible" to use franchise tag next year on Suh. Wouldn't rule it out.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) July 28, 2014
Lewand wouldn't rule out using the franchise tag to keep Suh next year, just said a lot of options on table
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) July 28, 2014
Mayhew also mentioned he believes Suh wants to stay in Detroit and that the Lions had zero discussions about trading their top defender.
If the Lions and Suh can’t agree to an extension at the end of the season and the team elects to use the franchise tag, his franchise tender would be $26.7 million in 2015, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
That is a staggering amount of money that could occupy a great deal of space on the salary cap, so that would not be an ideal option for the Lions, but rather a last resort type of move to prevent the All-Pro defensive tackle from entering free agency in his prime.