Terrell Suggs, Baltimore Ravens making progress
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) reacts after recovering a fumble during the game against the New York Jets at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Baltimore Ravens star outside linebacker Terrell Suggs is set to make a whopping $12.4 million next season in a contract year, and that number is simply too large for the Ravens to be able to take on. Suggs is still one of the best 3-4 OLBs in the NFL due to his great ability to rush the passer and elite ability to play the run, but the Ravens have a projected $11.87 million in cap space, per Over the Cap, and I’m sure they would like to spend a significant amount of that on keeping Eugene Monroe and getting some upgrades. Paying Suggs over $12 million next season would definitely eat into their ability to pay Monroe, Dennis Pitta, Daryl Smith, and any free agent, so he’ll probably have to take one for the team. $11.88 million sounds like a lot of available money, but it’s actually just below the league average for projected 2014 cap space.
The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston reports that both Suggs and the Ravens are making progress on a contract extension, and “the assumption” is that Suggs will likely get a new deal. There were rumors last month that the Ravens could simply cut Suggs if he were unwilling to sign an extension, but those seemed extremely hard to believe. First of all, the 31-year-old OLB has been a leader for this team for quite some time, and I doubt he would willingly allow himself to be cut over taking a paycut. Maybe he would be all about the money, but that didn’t seem likely to me. There’s little doubt in my mind that Ozzie Newsome, who has shown he’s willing to cut costs, would not exhaust all options before cutting him, because Suggs is such a great player and worse price tags have been given than $12.4 million for a high-level player.
It’s great to hear that both sides are expected to come to terms to an extension and are making progress, since a favorable extension definitely works out best for both sides. Suggs recorded 80 tackles and ten sacks last season, and he and Elvis Dumervil form one of the league’s premier 3-4 OLB duos.