Suggs to be Tagged: LB or DE?

[B-more Ravor]

Well, right now it doesn't seem contentious, but it appears there may be a $800K disagreement over whether he's a DE or LB:



The interesting twist to Suggs' franchising is whether or not it's being done at the right position. The Ravens franchised Suggs as a linebacker, which gives him a one-year tender offer at $8.065 million. Suggs claims he played more than 50 percent of the Ravens defensive snaps at defensive end, which has an $8.879 million tender offer.

Suggs is expected to challenge the designation in order to have a complete breakdown of the defensive snaps to determine if he should be an end or a linebacker. If the league and the NFL Players Association determines more than 50 percent of the snaps for Suggs happened at defensive end, a ruling may allow him to get the defensive end designation and get a raise of $814,000.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3252676

[jonboy79]

Sure, Suggs be selfish about those last scraps and really cripple the cap. It's easy for me to say from thsi side, but...

[dilfer00]

They just tagged him as a linebacker.

[UKRavenStockers]

Well this is a good start and a nice foundation for discussions over a long term contract. Why do I get the impression that the stories about him wanting the big money are absolutely true?

Really not getting a good vibe about this whole thing, wasting time squabbling over $800k suggests to me that we aren't particularly close with our offer in relation to his demands. I'm not sure but I don't see this getting resolved any time this off-season if he's squabbling about this rather than trying to get a long term deal sorted. It's 10% more so it's no small amount of money, but he appears to be ignoiring a potentially bigger picture IMO.

[Bez513]

This KID is really starting to irk the hell out of me. He's bitching about 800K...ok...I can understand that but damn he's 25 making 8 mil a year now? They he says he wants to retire a Raven yet he said weeks ago he wants to play in Arizona. He says he's BETTER then Dwight Freeney. Make him an honest LT deal and if he wants to break the bank then trade him away.

I'm tired of these overpriced babies bitching about money when they make more than any one of us will in a lifetime.

[Losac]

Read the Mike Preston column in today's Sun. It doesn't sound like T-Sizzle is being greedy or wants to go to Arizona. He's adamant about staying a Raven and I think he means it.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.preston19feb19,0,6203209.column

[Bez513]

Read the Mike Preston column in today's Sun. It doesn't sound like T-Sizzle is being greedy or wants to go to Arizona. He's adamant about staying a Raven and I think he means it.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.preston19feb19,0,6203209.column

I don't buy it. He says things that people want to hear.

[B-more Ravor]

I'm sure it's his agent and the NFLPA that are more concerned about the $800K than anyone else.

[Losac]

I don't buy it. He says things that people want to hear.
Everytime I've ever heard Suggs speak (even before contract time), he's always said he loves being a Baltimore Raven, loves the city and fans and wants to stay a Raven. The Arizona thing was blown way out of proportion, and he even followed the comment up by saying his first priority is to sign with the Ravens.

This isn't unique with Suggs. Players all over the league see football as a business first and I know that's hard for us fans to accept and understand.

[psuasskicker]

Man, people... It's $800k. That represents somewhere between 10 - 20 years of salary for many of us. That's also 10% of an increase over what he's getting now. You're saying if you make $50k a year and your boss tagged you in some fashion that made the difference between your getting $50k and $55k that you wouldn't want to push for the latter?

This is a business. People wanna get paid. Get used to it.

- C -

[jonboy79]

Man, people... It's $800k. That represents somewhere between 10 - 20 years of salary for many of us. That's also 10% of an increase over what he's getting now. You're saying if you make $50k a year and your boss tagged you in some fashion that made the difference between your getting $50k and $55k that you wouldn't want to push for the latter?

This is a business. People wanna get paid. Get used to it.

- C -


I can tell you one thing, If I was already independantly wealthy, and that $5k meant that I didn't get to hang out with one of my freinds because we couldn't afford him any longer I'd give it right up...

That's remotely similar to the cap space issue. In a long term contracts first year cap hit, Suggs' extra 10% could be the difference between Bryant Johnson and Devard Darling, or Keeping Musa Smith and Gerome Sapp for ST's and backup, or being required to replace them with new rookie min deal guys.

[B-more Ravor]

Or, perhaps, that "extra" $800K is part of the strategy on Suggs' agent's part to get the Ravens to get more serious about getting him signed to a long term deal?

It's all about leverage and it is business, as much as we fans would like it to be otherwise.

[jonboy79]

Or, perhaps, that "extra" $800K is part of the strategy on Suggs' agent's part to get the Ravens to get more serious about getting him signed to a long term deal?

It's all about leverage and it is business, as much as we fans would like it to be otherwise.

Hmm... new thought on that wavelength. Perhaps the Ravens are attempting to pay him long term like a LB, not DE.
JUlian Peterson got 7 years $54m two years ago with $17m guaranteed, while last year Charles Grant got 7 years $63m with like $23m guaranteed and tehn Freeney got that ridiculous deal.

[UKRaven]

Isn't Freeney a 4-3 DE anyway? Suggs is supposed to be a base 3-4 LB - huge difference - bet his agent doesn't see things that way of course?

Is this the downside to Ryan running an elaborate D schme? Players want the $$$'s that other teams senior players get - but really our players are cogs in our machine. I bet Pittsburg would have traded him by now!

Suggs may be good - but let him find out how good somewhere else - I have a 55 shirt that might need to be retired!

[Hook]

The one thing I really like about the ravens is that they will do everything in there power to keep their 1st round players. The Ravens usually play hard ball but things usually work out in the end. I have faith that this will get done sometime soon. What would really bother me is if Suggs was slapped with the tag and he was upset about it. to me its ok if he is quibbling about the 800 thousand and I'm sure its something his agent advised him to do.

[UKRaven]

The 800k is more cap room gone /it would assert that he was a DE and not an LB - so it is a VERY BIG issue!

I always get a bad feeling when a player does this - he either breaks the bank or walks off to another team.

What we don't know is how far they are apart on a 'deal' - but if he wants (or his agent is convincing him he is worth) 'Freeney type' mega $$$'s I honestly would show him the door now. He is not that good, not do we play in that way to make him look that good. I'd take a first rounder for him and keep the cash for other players.

Normally I stay away from these type of things but I do feel strongly on this one. We drafted him as a LB when the analists said he was undersized for a DE. If he wants to be a (4-3) DE let him do it for another team, and they can pay him as such.

[Hook]

The 800k is more cap room gone /it would assert that he was a DE and not an LB - so it is a VERY BIG issue!
The Ravens use him as both a DE and a LB. If the union see it that he plays more than half his plays as a DE, he will get that money. UK, You're right its a big issue if they get to a point were they run over the cap. At some point the Ravens will pay him what he is worth, they always do. The 800k will even out as soon as the deal is done and probably more space will be available (depending on signing bonus and lengh of contract). The ravens have the tag as leverage and Suggs has this DE (800K) issue as his, and its the only leverage he really has.

Suggs is still a good player, there is no reason to put him on the street or to gamble on his services by cashing in on a 1st round pick.

[B-more Ravor]

The ravens have the tag as leverage and Suggs has this DE (800K) issue as his, and its the only leverage he really has.



Exactly. The tag limits his choices and this $800K issue gives him some leverage with the team that will hopefully end up with a long term deal. For now, he counts at $8.065M. If there is a ruling the other way, the team may have to forego signing someone they were looking at = or = get Suggs signed long term. As I said previously, it's all about leverage and all part of the negotiating process.

[psuasskicker]

I can tell you one thing, If I was already independantly wealthy, and that $5k meant that I didn't get to hang out with one of my freinds because we couldn't afford him any longer I'd give it right up...

That's remotely similar to the cap space issue. In a long term contracts first year cap hit, Suggs' extra 10% could be the difference between Bryant Johnson and Devard Darling, or Keeping Musa Smith and Gerome Sapp for ST's and backup, or being required to replace them with new rookie min deal guys.

I don't at all disagree with that sentiment. There's nothing that irks me more than a super-star that handcuffs his team with a cap-busting deal and then whines that his team isn't doing enough to bring in the help he needs to win a championship. This happens more often in the NBA of course (see Lebron James).

HOWEVER, reality is much different. How much would it take to be wealthy enough to retire and live comfortably for the rest of our lives? I estimate that'd be somewhere between $5 and $10 million. $800k is still a meaningful amount here. On top of that, these guys have bigger health concerns upon retiring than we have, and many don't have near the earning power in their 40s that we have, so while they clearly make a lot more money than we make, they also have a much more limitted window to make it and deal with quicker health degradation.

And on top of that there's always human nature which is to say that no matter how much you're making, you always wanna make a bit more. $8 mil sounds like a ton of money to those of us making $50 - $100k. But if you were making $8 mil, it's probably worth going the extra step to you to make that extra 10%.

- C -

[Raveninwoodlawn]

If I were Suggs, I'd be pulling for that extra 800k too.

If you are going to limit my ability to get a long term deal, I want as much as I can in that one year.

Don't really see why some people are pissed at him for it.

[Dade]

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2008/02/20/sports/csports2-20-08.txt

Looks like he's been tagged for 8.06 million.

[UKRaven]

It does not say if it's final that he is an LB is (-$800k).

It is quite simple:

If he's an LB, we will reward him with an excellent (LB) contract.

If he is a DE, he/his agent is demanding a King's ransom. He should be shown the door!