You would have thought the Detroit Lions would have been interested in a reunion with defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, but apparently, it was the furthest thing from their minds.
The Lions, who signed fellow defensive lineman Tyson Alualu last week, evidently wanted nothing to do with bringing Suh back into the fold even though the five-time Pro Bowler had expressed interest in joining the club.
“Suh reached out to the Lions about playing here, but he reached out to like four or five other teams also,” former Detroit News columnist Terry Foster said on The Woodward Heavyweights podcast. “So, he made the initial offer about coming here.”
Suh spent the first five years of his NFL career in Detroit, making four trips to the Pro Bowl and earning three First-Team All-Pro selections. He bolted the Lions for the Miami Dolphins in free agency in 2015, but Foster says Suh had been warming up to the idea of returning to the Motor City.
“Suh has been in Detroit a lot over the last few months,” Foster said. “He has investments here. He’s embracing this community more than he did when he was a player because when he was a player, he wanted to get the hell out of here. But now I think he sees a Lions team that is confident, that can win and that he could be a guy that could be a 20 to 25 snap per game defensive tackle in that rotation. So he does have an interest in coming here.”
Unfortunately for Suh, the Lions did not share the same sentiments.
“But you know who slammed the door shut? So far, Detroit Lions. They said no,” Foster concluded.
Ndamukong Suh last played for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, appearing in eight games and logging 10 tackles and a sack.
The 36-year-old probably still has something left in the tank. However, he obviously won’t get the chance to demonstrate that in a Lions uniform.
Detroit is 9-4 and is coming off of a tough Week 14 loss to the Chicago Bears. It will take on the Denver Broncos next Saturday.
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