Longtime NFL defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh officially retired earlier this month, closing the book on a 13-year career that saw him win Defensive Rookie of the Year, make five Pro Bowls, be named a First Team All-Pro three times and win Super Bowl LV.
The No. 2 overall pick of the Detroit Lions back in 2010 was selected after Detroit went a combined 2-30 over two seasons, and he, along with quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson, had a hand in getting the Lions back on track and back in the playoffs. In just Suh’s second NFL season, the Lions won double-digit games for the first time since 1995, and earned a postseason bid for the first time since 1999.
Suh enjoyed enormous success in his five seasons with the Lions, as he registered what ended up being a career-high 10 sacks as a rookie, and was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro selection every year except one. However, Suh was then allowed to walk in free agency in 2015.
Recently, Suh said on his Facebook page that Detroit should have paid him more than Stafford when he was up for his first contract extension. Stafford and Johnson signed lucrative extensions in the years leading up to Suh’s first free agency, which left the Lions with a tough decision.
“Detroit, in my opinion, when I first came out, really gave me the short end of the stick,” Suh said. “I should have been paid more than Matthew Stafford, because I was the next first-round pick for them coming out in the draft and I felt like I was going to be a cornerstone for them, but they didn’t value me enough to say, ‘Hey, you’re not going to get paid more than our quarterback…'”
In the caption of the Facebook reel, Suh wrote that the identity of the Lions offense was built around Stafford and Johnson, while he and the defensive line were the headliners of the other side of the ball. Basically, he was the quarterback of the defense.
“I was a cornerstone of the Detroit Lions, just like Stafford, just like Calvin, but the pay never matched the weight I carried.
I wasn’t just a defensive tackle.
I was the guy offenses game-planned for.
I was the one of the guys setting the tone in the locker room and on the field.
And while quarterbacks get the big checks, I was the one putting my body on the line every play, chasing down QBs.
They built the offense around him, They built the identity of the defense around the Dline and me!
You don’t talk about the Lions of that era without mentioning Calvin Johnson or Matthew Stafford, myself and our Dline!
So yeah… I believed I should’ve been paid like them,
Because impact isn’t just about stats, it’s about presence, influence, folks wanting to play with you and for you !
Lesson…
If you’re carrying the load, on the field or in business, don’t be afraid to ask for what you’re worth.
Because being valuable and being valued are two different things!!!!”
Suh found the money he sought with the Miami Dolphins, who gave Suh a six-year, $114 million contract that made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time. However, he was released after three seasons. Suh would go on to play one season with the Los Angeles Rams, in which he made the Super Bowl, three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which included the Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, and then finished his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.
While it’s easy to say the Lions valued their star quarterback and star wide receiver more than the star defensive tackle, that may not be fair. Stafford and Johnson were up for massive extensions before Suh, and it’s understood that Detroit made a push to keep this “big three” together. Ultimately, Suh made the decision to leave for a state with no income tax, and take a deal the Lions could not match.
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Author: Jordan Dajani
July 22, 2025 | 1:46 pm
