One of the best defensive linemen of the 2010s, Ndamukong Suh, officially called it a career over the weekend. Suh issued a statement on the anniversary of his father’s death, crediting him as “my idol, my coach, and my anchor.” The defensive lineman shared what he said was the final piece of advice from his dad.
“It’s time to let football go,” Suh recalled his late father saying. “You’ve done everything you set out to do. Now it’s time for the next chapter.”
The last time the defensive lineman played football was back in 2022 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He appeared in only eight games that season and had not been signed by an NFL team since. Regardless, Suh was once one of the most dominant defensive presences the league has ever seen.
Ndamukong Suh Officially Announces Retirement From the NFL
His Career
While Ndamukong Suh did have a reputation as a “dirty” player, one cannot deny the impact he had on the field. Throughout his 13-year career, he logged 71.5 sacks, 600 combined tackles, 130 tackles for loss, and 392 solo tackles. Furthermore, Suh also recorded five forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, 38 passes defensed, and three fumbles returned for touchdowns.
Ndamukong Suh also possesses an impressive resume that will be worthy of Hall of Fame consideration once he is eligible. He finishes as a one-time Super Bowl champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a Defensive Rookie of the Year, a three-time All-Pro, and a member of the All-2010s Hall of Fame Team.
Say what you will about Ndamukong Suh and his reputation, but one cannot deny his defensive acumen. He may have finished the final years of his career as a bit of a journeyman, but where Ndamukong Suh truly made a name for himself was with the team that drafted him in 2010: the Detroit Lions.
Ndamukong Suh’s Tenure With the Detroit Lions
With the Lions, Suh made an instant impact as a rookie. As mentioned earlier, he won Rookie of the Year, but also made the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro Team during that campaign. During Suh’s five seasons with the Lions, he was a rare bright spot for a team that was struggling at the time. In those five years, he recorded 66 tackles for loss, 36.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and 238 combined tackles.
Considering all of this, he will certainly go down as one of the best to do it in Detroit’s history. One should expect Ndamukong Suh to earn a gold jacket in the coming years and to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
