Thursday's NFL: Former Lion Suh signs $9.25M, one-year deal with Bucs
It took a few days and an interruption of his pre-planned trip to France, but former Lion Ndamukong Suh has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Bucs.
Suh will earn $9.25 million in 2019, but the deal could be worth as much as $10 million if he reaches certain playing incentives.
It will be the third team in as many years for Suh, who played for the Dolphins in 2017 and the Los Angeles Rams in 2018.
Suh essentially replaces defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who was released Monday. McCoy would have earned $13 million this season had the Bucs kept him, meaning the team gained about $3.75 million savings on the salary cap.
ESPN reported earlier this week that the Bucs were finalizing a contract with Suh. But it apparently took a few days to strike an accord since Suh already had a trip planned to France. On Thursday, the team finally announced they had officially agreed to terms.
McCoy, a six-time Pro Bowler, will visit the Browns.
General manager John Dorsey said Thursday that McCoy, released earlier this week by Tampa Bay in a cost-cutting move, will be at the team’s facility Friday. Dorsey announced McCoy’s impending visit at a news conference to celebrate the NFL’s decision to hold the 2021 draft in Cleveland.
“It’s a chance for us to kind of get a chance to meet each other one on one, and let’s find out who Gerald is,” Dorsey said Thursday during a downtown celebration for Cleveland’s selection by the NFL to host the 2021 draft. “It also gives Gerald a chance to see who the Cleveland Browns are and what direction we’re headed.”
Several other teams have expressed interest in McCoy, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 draft.
Cleveland already fortified its defensive front this offseason by signing free agent Sheldon Richardson to a three-year, $37 million deal, and trading for edge rusher Olivier Vernon.
McCoy had six sacks in 14 games last season and has 54 ½ in 123 career games.
Extra points
Jaguars rookie defensive end Josh Allen sat out practice Thursday after bruising his right knee during the team’s first practice of organized team activities.
But after the session, he signed his contract. Under the NFL’s rookie slotting system, Allen got a four-year deal worth roughly $22.7 million. He was expected to get a signing bonus of around $14.6 million.
... The NFL has suspended Bengals guard Alex Redmond for the first four games of the 2019 regular season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Redmond is eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games before sitting out the first month of the regular-season schedule.
Redmond started 15 games last season, his second in the NFL, at right guard. He played in five games, with no starts, the previous year. Signed as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in 2016, Redmond failed to make the Cincinnati roster. He was re-signed in 2017.