As reported yesterday, the New York Jetsrescinded their offer to free agent Ndamukong Suh. When asked for clarification on the decision to do so, Jets’ owner Christopher Johnson simply stated that their “thinking just changed a bit.”
It was great news for the Rams who, according to Ian Rapoport, are now the front-runners to land free agency’s top defensive tackle:
From @GMFB, on the Ndamukong Suh free agency: The #Rams appear to be the front-runner for his services. Suh hasn’t ruled the #Titans or #Saints out, and those close to him say he’s still open-minded. But Los Angeles has emerged as the team to beat in his protracted saga.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 26, 2018
Suh has taken his time making a decision, after traveling around the country on a jet meeting with teams. Those trips ended in Los Angeles after meeting with a Rams — a meeting that ultimately took the Raiders out of the running.
The big question amongst those monitoring the situation has been whether or not it’s been about the money – which the Jets had plenty of – or the desire to go to a team that’s destined for a deep playoff run. We’ll soon find out, but it’s fair to assume that the answer lies somewhere in the middle.
For those who are, or were concerned, about the state of the Rams’ cap space, you can’t just consider what the Rams have left to spend in 2018. As Tom Pelissero points out, the Rams do have work to do with players of their own, but no team in the NFL has more buying power than the Rams in the upcoming years.
#Rams have a bunch of big extensions upcoming, but no NFL team has lower cap commitments over the next two seasons. They have resources to get it done. https://t.co/lUi9E3Vtqh
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 26, 2018