Ndamukong Suh will sign with the Miami Dolphins when free agency opens at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Dolphins have offered him a six-year, $114 million deal that includes $60 million in guarantees and $60 million in the first three seasons, per a report from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen who broke the story. The contract averages $19 million per year according to Mortensen.
Deals cannot be inked until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, so there’s a chance the Lions could entice him to return before then.
PHOTOS: Suh’s final Lions’ season
The Lions’ final proposal for Suh would have made him the highest paid defenseman in the league, but the Dolphins took it to another level. Mortensen reported that the Lions offered Suh an average of $17 million for six years with $58 million guaranteed.
The Lions decided on Monday to not use the franchise tag on Suh. That would have cost them about $26.8 million to keep him for one year with nothing guaranteed beyond that.
The Lions could also lose three more defensive tackles to free agency. Nick Fairley, C.J. Mosley and Andre Fluellen can become unrestricted free agents at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
Look for the Lions to make a push to sign Fairley and either Mosley or another free agent defensive tackle.
The Lions did not pick up Fairley’s fifth-year option when they had a chance last May. Martin Mayhew said after the season he felt confident Fairley’s issues with conditioning and his work ethic were behind him.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Mayhew said he could see where the Lions would re-sign both Suh and Fairley or that they would go forward without either one.
The Lions brought in veteran defensive tackle Kendall Langford for a visit last week. He was also expected to visit the Jets and Saints. The 29-year-old veteran was released by the St. Louis Rams. He’s versatile enough to also play defensive end.
The Lions could add to defensive tackle through the NFL draft which is deep in at the position. Malcom Brown (Texas), Eddie Goldman (Florida State) or Jordan Phillips (Oklahoma) could make sense with the Lions’ 23rd overall pick.
Also, last week the Lions brought in defensive tackle Xavier Cooper (Washington State) for a pre-draft visit. He’s projected as a second- or third-round pick.
In his five seasons in Detroit, Suh was named to the Pro Bowl four times and was first-team All-Pro four times. He never missed a game due to injury. He played in 78 of 80 regular season games, missing two games due to an NFL suspension. With the Lions he had 36 sacks, 238 tackles, 13 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception.
He was a big reason with the Lions had the No. 2 rated defense last season.
In Lions’ Week 10, 20-16 win over the Dolphins, Suh had four tackles with three for a loss, three quarterback hits and one sack. The Dolphins finished 8-8 last season and out of the playoffs.
The new Dolphins’ defensive line is expected to be Suh, DE Cam Wake, DT Earl Mitchell and DE Olivier Vernon.
Suh seemed to get along well with coach Jim Caldwell and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin in their first season with the Lions. Both of them made it clear, they wanted Suh to return.
Mayhew and team president Tom Lewand publicly stated their optimism to re-sign Suh within recent weeks.
The Lions have been working for the past year to sign Suh who they drafted with the second overall pick in 2010.
