Jets Have Largest Offer To Ndamukong Suh

The Jets have the largest offer out to free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports was the first to report (via Twitter) that New York had expressed interest in Suh.

Gang Green hadn’t been previously mentioned as a suitor for Suh, and his potential destinations were thought to be narrowed to the Rams, Saints, and Titans. The Jets have the most cap space of any of the teams involved in the bidding, and while they haven’t yet set up a visit with Suh, they have explained how they would deploy the veteran interior defender.

New York utilizes a 3-4 scheme, and while Suh has only played in 4-3 looks during his career, shifting fronts doesn’t appear to be a problem, as both Los Angeles and Tennessee also use a 3-4 defense. The Jets’ once-vaunted defensive line is now without the Muhammad Wilkerson/Sheldon Richardson/Damon Harrison trio from 2015, and Suh would presumably replace Mike Pennel as a starting end opposite Leonard Williams.

Suh is now 31 years old, but he’s still a dominant player: he managed 20.5 pressures and and 4.5 sacks from his defensive tackle position while grading as the NFL’s No. 5 interior defender in 2017, per Pro Football Focus. He’s also incredibly durable, as he hasn’t missed a single contest since 2012. Last season, Suh played a whopping 883 snaps, the second-most of any defensive tackle in the league.

While the Jets are willing to offer Suh the most money, he won’t necessarily follow the dollars, per Rapoport. The Rams, Saints, and Titans each made the postseason in 2017, while New York is still embarking on a rebuild, so Suh could potentially forgo the largest contract offered in order to sign with a contender.

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