Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said he’s not ruling out the possibility of using the franchise tag on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Suh is in the final year of a five-year contract worth he signed after the Lions selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft. The 28-year-old has earned four Pro Bowl nods and been selected to four All-Pro teams.
Mayhew reportedly said Suh is “open” to remaining with the Lions.
“I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with him on Monday,” said Mayhew, Detroit’s general manager. “We had a good conversation. We look forward to working with him to try to get a deal done.”
“We talked about that on Monday, had a good conversation with him,” Mayhew said. “He wants to be here and we want him to be here. As I said before, I think that’s a pretty good combination. We’ll see how it all plays out.”
“He likes to win, I know that,” Mayhew said. “I know he likes coach (Jim) Caldwell, I know he’s very comfortable here in Detroit, so those things all play in our favor. At the end of the day money talks, so we’ll have to step up in terms of pursuing him financially as well.”
If Detroit were to use the franchise tag on Suh, it could cost nearly $27 million.