DETROIT – The Detroit Lions announced Monday that they will not place the franchise tag on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, according to Tim Twentyman.
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Monday at 4 p.m. marks the deadline for teams to use the franchise tag on their pending free agent players.
Suh would have made $26.9 million in 2015 with a franchise tag. Detroit would have been forced to clear at least $10 million of cap space to make room for that contract.
Suh picked up 53 tackles and 8.5 sacks for the Lions' No. 2 ranked defense in 2014. He ended the season by sacking Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo twice in the wildcard round of the playoffs.
The Lions drafted Suh with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft. In five seasons with the team Suh has made 239 tackles and picked up 36 sacks in 78 games. He missed only two games in his career: A 2011 suspension for stomping on a Packers' lineman in a Thanksgiving Day loss.
Suh has compiled a record of 37-41 in his career, making two brief appearances in the postseason (0-2).
Regardless of whether or not they sign Suh, the Lions' cap will take a $9,737,500 hit thanks to dead money left over from previous contract reconstructions.
The Lions' current cap sits at just under $126 million, giving them $17 million to work with (according to the projected $143 million cap for 2015). Calvin Johnson ($20,558,000) and Matthew Stafford ($17,721,250) combine for over 30 percent of the Lions' cap number.
Detroit now has until March 10 to sign Suh before he becomes a free agent.