ORLANDO, Fla. _ One day after it was revealed that the New York Jets had rescinded an offer to Ndamukong Suh, another team gobbled him up. The defensive lineman agreed Monday on a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams. The deal is worth $14 million, according to ESPN.
The Jets made a one-year offer for the talented yet troubled but pulled it when CEO Christopher Johnson expressed concern about the potential acquisition with general manager Mike Maccagnan.
The Jets' interest in Suh occurred after his release by the Dolphins this month. Suh said the Jets had one of the highest offers among several teams interested in his services.
"We extended an offer and we had a deadline on that offer and when that deadline passes, myself and Christopher and Todd (Bowles), who was informed about this the whole time, we made the determination if we wanted to stay in the race for him or pull out," Maccagnan said Monday. "We decided at that point in time to pull out."
There are numerous concerns about Suh: He is 31 and has been suspended twice and fined numerous times for dirty plays. There also was a question of whether he is a good locker room guy.
Maccagnan said that despite lower numbers of sacks and tackles in recent seasons, Suh was a dominant player.
The Jets are in need of upgrading the defensive line, particularly in finding a pass rusher, after they released end Muhammad Wilkerson in a cost-cutting move last month.
Entering free agency, the Jets had $89.8 million in salary-cap space, with a majority of it budgeted for quarterback Kirk Cousins. When the Jets failed to sign him despite a significant offer, the franchise went with Plan B, signing quarterbacks Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater to one-year deals.
The Jets spent much of their free-agent money on cornerback Trumaine Johnson, signing him to a five-year, $72-million deal with $34 million guaranteed.
Adding Suh, even for one year, might have been too much to absorb for the Jets.
