After Jets rescind offer, Ndamukong Suh agrees on one-year deal with Rams
This Nov. 13, 2017, file photo shows Miami Dolphins' Ndamukong Suh (93) on the sidelines before an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C. Credit: AP / Bob Leverone
ORLANDO, Fla. — One day after it was revealed that the Jets had rescinded an offer to Ndamukong Suh, another team gobbled him up. The defensive lineman reached an agreement on a one-year contract with the Rams on Monday. The deal is worth $14 million, according to ESPN.
The Jets made a one-year offer for the talented, controversial Suh but pulled it after a deadline for accepting the offer had passed. CEO Christopher Johnson also expressed concern about the potential acquisition with general manager Mike Maccagnan.
The Jets’ interest in Suh occurred after his release by the Dolphins this month. Suh said the Jets made one of the highest offers among several teams interested in his services.
“We extended an offer and we had a deadline on that offer and then that deadline passed,” Maccagnan said on Monday. “Myself and Christopher and Todd [Bowles], who was informed about this the whole time, made the determination if we wanted to stay in the race for him or pull out. We decided at that point in time to pull out.”
Maccagnan added, “You always have to kinda see where other things that you may do in free agency are. Everybody has budgets, ranges that you’re comfortable with. We felt at that point in time, the deadline passed and we had to make a decision.”
There are numerous concerns about Suh: He is 31 and has been suspended twice and fined numerous times for dirty play. There also was a question of whether he is a good locker-room guy.
Maccagnan said that despite Suh’s lower numbers of sacks and tackles in recent seasons, when his scouts viewed game tape, they saw a dominant player.
The Jets need to upgrade the defensive line after releasing end Muhammad Wilkerson in a cost-cutting move last month. They particularly need a pass rusher.
Entering free agency, the Jets had $89.8 million in salary-cap space, with a majority of it budgeted for quarterback Kirk Cousins. When the Jets failed to sign him, the franchise went with Plan B, signing Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater to one-year deals.
The Jets spent a bulk of their free-agent money on cornerback Trumaine Johnson, signing him to a five-year, $72-million deal with $34 million guaranteed.
Adding Suh, even for one year, might have been too much to absorb.
