Baltimore's Terrell Suggs agreed to a terrific 6-year, $63 million contract late Tuesday, but expect it to be jumped by Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware. The Cowboys and Ware have been in talks for months. Ware should become one of the NFL's highest-paid defensive players if he can get a long-term deal. Now that the Suggs deal is done and the Panthers have Julius Peppers for only a one-year deal, Ware and the Cowboys have a chance to figure his value and come up with a monster long-term deal.
In two years as a franchise player for the
Ravens, Suggs turned the hybrid position of defensive end-linebacker into one of the NFL's better-paid positions.
A year ago, Suggs filed a grievance against the league when he was a franchise player at the linebacker salary number. He contended that he had more plays in 2007 at defensive end than he did at linebacker and merited the higher franchise salary number of an end. A special master was going to have to count every play that season, but the Ravens offered a solution that increased his one-year tender between that of a franchise linebacker and that of an end.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
John Clayton
