is ndamukong suh still playing?

On April 5, 2021, Suh re-signed to a one-year, $9 million contract with the Buccaneers after testing free agency. Suh appeared in and started all 17 games for the Buccaneers and recorded 27 total tackles, 13 quarterback hits, eight tackle for losses, and six sacks.

Former Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is now 35 years old, so he’s not what he was during his youthful peak when he earned four Pro Bowl nods and three First Team All-Pro selections over five seasons in Detroit.

But Suh is absolutely still an effective player, with six sacks in each of the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and at least seven tackles for loss in three straight campaigns.

The list of potential suitors is naturally fairly narrow for Suh, and any visions of him returning to the Lions were never realistic. He would surely prefer to join a team that has a chance to win a Super Bowl, or at minimum a team that will be relevant in the playoff race this year.

The Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings have surfaced off and on as the top suitors for Suh, and in June Suh himself tweeted that joining the Raiders “could be fun.” But things never seemed to get very far with any of those three teams, or any other team for that matter.

So is Suh not fully healthy? Why is he still available as the second week of preseason games goes on?

According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic (subscription required) the Raiders are interested in Suh, but not at his current asking price. Reed went further, pegging Suh’s demands at around $9 million per year.

Overall it seems the Raiders want to see what they have in-house at defensive tackle, as Johnathan Hankins and Bilal Nichols only recently came off the PUP list, and the idea of signing Suh is not completely out the window.

Suh waited until November of last season to join the Philadelphia Eagles after spending two previous seasons in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers. It paid off as the Eagles went to the Super Bowl with Suh getting the chance of becoming a two-time champion. Philadelphia fell short, and Suh became an unrestricted free agent this off-season.

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Suh was asked about his future in the NFL and if he would play this season. Suh replied:

In eight regular-season games with the Eagles, Suh logged 10 tackles and a sack while adding two tackles in the postseason.

The 36-year-old has played 13 seasons in the NFL. He was drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He played the first five seasons of his career with Detroit, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and being named to four All-Pros and four Pro Bowls.

He then signed a massive six-year deal with the Miami Dolphins in 2015 and spent three seasons with the team. In 2018, he joined the Rams and played for a season before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019, playing three seasons in Tampa. He was a member of the team during their 2020-21 Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Interestingly enough, Ndamukong Suh is the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, even over Aaron Donald. According to spotrac.com, Suh has earned $168 million in his NFL career.

Donald is right behind him, having earned $157 million in his career. Suh earned $64 million with the Detroit Lions, $60 million with the Miami Dolphins, $14.5 million with the Los Angeles Rams, $27.4 million with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and $2 million with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Do you think Ndamukong Suh will return this season for a 14th season?

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit The Rich Eisen Show, and H/T Sportskeeda

On Thursday, they agreed to terms with defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh on a one-year deal.

Suh, 35, hasn’t played in the NFL this season but was still playing at a high level for the Buccaneers in 2021. Suh started all 17 games last season, had 6 sacks, 27 tackles and 13 quarterback hits. He had two tackles against the Eagles in the playoff game.

Suh is the third defensive lineman over the age of 30 added by the Eagles during the season. The Eagles traded for Robert Quinn (32) before the trade deadline and added Joseph (34) earlier this week. The Eagles also have 34-year-old Brandon Graham and 31-year-old Fletcher Cox in their defensive line room. The Eagles have nine players over the age of 30 and five of them are on the D-line.

Earlier this week, head coach Nick Sirianni was asked how the team gauges whether or not older players they bring in still have their physical ability and passion for the game.

“You watch the tape, talk to them,” Sirianni said. “Obviously with [DE] Robert [Quinn] you're not able to talk to him, but you watch the tape. You get a feel for guys that have been around him, guys that have been with him recently.

“Are you going to be able to tell everything? No, because you're not in the building with them and you're not with them every single day. But we feel good about the process we go through, and that these guys are going to be ready to go and ready to play.”

Suh entered the NFL as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft and has had a long and successful career in the league. He has played and started 191 games and has missed just two (for suspension). He is a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.

Throughout his long NFL career, Suh has never played in a game that he didn’t start.

Based on his level of play in the 2021 season, Suh could help the Eagles. Of course, we don’t know what kind of shape he’s in after not playing this season. But the same thing could be said of Joseph, who was at practice for the first time on Thursday.

While Suh would certainly help their pass rush, the Eagles really need help in the run game. They’ve given up at least 120 rushing yards in each of their last five games and at least 140 in each of their last three.

The Eagles will still be without rookie nose tackle Jordan Davis for at least a couple more weeks, but now that rotation has been bolstered by Joseph and Suh. The Eagles might need to bring them along slowly but the rotation is looking deadly for the stretch run.