According to Spotrac, the Miami Dolphins will have the fourth lowest cap space heading into the 2018 free agency period. The team could free up some money by doing a number of things, including restructuring defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh’s contract. In 2015, Suh signed a $114 million contract, including $60 million of it guaranteed. In the midst of double-teams throughout the season, Suh still finished with 47 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, and eight stuffs. He was named the Dolphins 2017 MVP by the local South Florida media members. Suh is under contract with the Dolphins for three more seasons at base salaries of $16.985 million, $18.985 million, and $18.36 million in 2018, 2019, and 2020. His cap numbers over the next three seasons are $26.1 million, $28.1 million, and $22.375 million.
They would be very foolish to do anything with Suh's contract. It would just make his cap number in 2019 and 2020 higher. That 28.1m number is 2019 is ugly, but we need to just get past it and move on.
Is that even possible though? And why would he sign additional years when it essentially gives him less pay per year overall? I think we're stuck no matter what unless we cut him or find a trade-partner. I've always loved what Suh brings but we really can't afford him.
I don't want the people currently in charge making any huge money moves like that right now. They could all be gone by the time that extra year kicks in. If Suh is still worth it, and we're good enough to warrant it, then we can extend him in a few years. No point in doing so now.
It would have to be one of those balloon payment years where Miami would have to either extend him or cut him. They are smarter than I am. They can figure it out.
He's a great player, and has always been healthy. But he'll be 34 when his current deal ends. The list of DTs who have continued to play at that high of a level after that age is very short, but it is possible.
I'm sure if Ross stepped up and said, we need to restructure your contract to get you some help taking us to a championship. Here is a truck full of cash, and the truck, and a sweet deal on some real estate investments when you retire...
Dolphins will keep him this next year, then the contract gives them an out. Suh or any other DT to ever play the game isn't worth the money he is making. We will never find a trade partner, because every other team will view that cap hit the same way. My guess is we cut him in 2 years he takes a nice chunk of guaranteed money with him, and signs 1 more massive contract to some other star starved team.
Suh is a great player but I take issue with breaking the bank for any one player. His cap hit is QB territory with not nearly the effect. A QB can lift an offense. a DT can't lift a defense, as evidenced by his time here.
His cap hits are soon to be higher than even the best QBs. But it is what it is. Suck it up for two years, and then we'll see where we are.
We messed the bed on Suh's contract when we opted for it's reconstruction after the first year. We're pretty much stuck with it how it is now. It's dependent on the coaching, which has not been revealed through our coaching. Though, I do agree with you that shelling out too much money for any position is a poor choice.
Very few QB's have been able to do that, but a few have. And the same goes for DT. Warren Sapp, John Randle, Bob Lilly, and Mean Joe. To name a few. Saying that, if the offense or defense just flat out stinks, then ONE player won't matter too much on either side of the ball.
Jay Fiedler did. Jimmy Garop did. And one of those is not even that good, the other is unknown and according to you, also won't be very good.
suh is the only thing that will allow wake to continue to be wake and get harris to the qb, there has to be many more contracts that are bad if we have only 1 high contract you want changed, so id look elsewhere. Suh is needed for this defense his double teams will allow wake to play 2-3 more years depending on injuries. IMO its dumb to even think about getting rid of suh. take him out of the equation and our defense goes with him, double teams will now move to the outsides we wont be able to stop the line surge or get to the qb.
I'm not sure what type of revisionist history you're using, but Fiedler didn't not. And I understand that you NEED Garop to do well because it will help out your favorite player's legacy. However, and even though he has played efficiently, Garop is not doing anything special. If you use "wins" as a QB stat then yes, he's the next Marino, but if you look at his individual stats you'd see he's not. For example, 3.8 TD% and a 2.8 INT%. And if you take into account it's been 5 games (remember Cassell had ~3x that amount before he looked like a giant dog turd) people would calm their **** about him.
The money never goes away, it just gets moved. When you convert salary to a bonus, you can then spread it out over the remaining contract. That would make his number lower in 2018, but higher in 2019 and 2020. Right now, Suh's contract looks like this: 2018: 17m salary, 26.1m cap hit (22.2m dead cap hit if cut) 2019: 19m salary, 28.1m cap hit (13.1m dead cap hit if cut) 2020: 18.4m salary, 23.4m cap hit (4m dead cap hit if cut) So, if you were to convert say 9m of his 2018 salary into a bonus, Suh would then get that money immediately (good for him), and the amount would then be spread out in 3m installments over his contract. So, his cap his would lower to 20.1m in 2018, but then raise to 31.1m in 2019 and 26.4m in 2020. Right now, the team can basically part ways with Suh following the 2019 season if they should choose to do so either due to regime change, performance issues or financial need. Its hard for me to see them giving that away for some small amount of cap relief this offseason.
Thanks for that explanation. In other words we're stuck with it regardless. I say we eat the cap hit instead until next year. I just wish there was a way around doing that.
Correct. Once a player is given a contract with guaranteed money, he's getting that money barring some unforseen off the field situation, like Timmons earlier this year. You can move it around into the future, and players are often given an extension as part of that, but it gets paid in the end. With Suh, given how much he's going to make the next few seasons and the fact that the team very well may not want to continue paying him those huge sums, is unlikely to get an extension either this year or next, IMO. Once we're in the offseason prior to the final year of his deal, where the team is only on the hook for 4m, then we'll likely either see an extension or a release.