Ndamukong Suh

At 37 years old, Ndamukong Suh has this physical status:

College career

Suh played football for Nebraska's Cornhuskers football team from 2005 to 2009. Suh played in the first two games and had an assist tackle against Wake Forest before being forced to miss the remainder of the season after recovering knee surgery. He was given a medical redshirt.

Suh appeared in all 14 games as a backup defensive lineman and was named first All-Big 12 honors by The Sporting News in 2006. Despite coming off the bench, he finished the year with 19 total tackles and ranked among the team's best tackles for loss (81) and quarterback sacks (312). Suh started 11 of the Cornhuskers' 12 games and finished with 34 total tackles on the season.

Suh had a team-best 76 tackles, 7 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions (both returned for touchdowns), and a touchdown reception while playing fullback as a junior. He was the first Nebraska defensive lineman to lead the team in tackles since 1973. In 2008, Suh became the first Nebraska interior defensive lineman to receive those accolades since Steve Warren in 1999. He was also an honorable mention All-American.

Suh had 85 tackles, 12 quarterback sacks, 28 quarterback hurries, 20.5 tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups, 3 blocked kicks, and 1 interception in 2009. In a 13–12 loss to the Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship Game, Suh had 12 tackles (seven for losses, a school single-game record) and 412 sacks, for which he was awarded game MVP accolades. He ranked second nationally in scoring defense (10.4 ppg), second in total sacks (44), eighth in pass defense (93.2 ypg), and 18th in passing defense (93.1 ypg). In the 2009 Holiday Bowl, he was in charge of Nebraska's first shutout in the holiday bowl's 32-year history as well as the first shutout in school bowl history. He was named unanimous first-team All-Big 12 and Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He was named Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, recipient of the Bill Willis Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, and Outland Trophy, and was named as a unanimous first-team All-American, nationally. He was also a finalist for the Lott Trophy, Walter Camp Award, and the Heisman Trophy.

Suh was selected as one of five finalists for the Walter Camp Award on December 3, 2009. Suh was one of three finalists for the 2009 Outland Trophy alongside Mike Iupati and Russell Okung on November 24, 2009. Suh was one of four finalists for the 2009 Lombardi Award, becoming the first Cornhusker to be honoured after Dominic Raiola in 2000. Suh was appointed to the Sporting News and CBS Sports mid-American team in October 2009. Suh debuted at No. 1 in the season of No. 2. 3 on Rivals.com's preseason defensive tackle power rankings. He was also listed on the 2009 Outland Trophy watch list.

Suh was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy on December 7, 2009. Suh was named the top defensive player in the country later that evening by the 2009 Bronko Nagurski Trophy champion. Suh was also named Defensive Player of the Year by CBS Sportsline. On December 9, 2009, the Touchdown Club of Columbus named Suh the winner of the Bill Willis Trophy. Suh was named in Lombardi's top collegiate lineman or linebacker the same evening. Suh was named the nation's best defensive player on the Outland Trophy for the best interior lineman at the ESPN College Football Awards on December 11, and the country's best defensive player was crowned as the winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award on December 11, as the country's best defensive player. Suh finished fourth in the Heisman series, accumulating 815 points, the most by a fourth-place finisher for the Heisman Trophy in its history. In 2009, he was also one of four unanimous picks to the AP First-Team All-America. Suh was named AP Player of Year in 2009, becoming the first defensive player to be honoured with the award in its history.

Professional career

Suh was widely considered to be one of the best draft candidates. Suh was rated as "the most dominant defensive tackle I've seen in 32 years," according to ESPN.com's draft analyst, Jr., who forecast him to finish as the top overall. Suh was seen as an excellent player either defensive tackle on a 4-3 defense or as a defensive end in a 3–4 defense.

Suh has joined The Agency Sports Management & Marketing, where Russ Spielman served as lead agent on off-the-field marketing. Suh bench pressed 225 pounds 32 times in 32 ways and made a 3512 inch vertical leap, the highest for a defensive tackle since Al Lucas (36 in 2000).

Suh signed Maximum Sports Management and agent Roosevelt Barnes ahead of the NFL draft. As this was the same agent who represented Michael Crabtree, several teams were concerned about drafting him. Crabtree was the longest waiter in the 2009 NFL Draft first round, having missed more than six weeks into the NFL season before signing with the San Francisco 49ers. Crabtree was even threatened to re-enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

Despite the rumors, Suh was picked second overall in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, making him the first defensive lineman chosen by the team in the first round since Luther Elliss in 1995. In 1988, Suh became the highest-selected Cornhusker defender since Neil Smith.

Suh agreed to a five-year, $68 million contract with the Lions, with $40 million guaranteed. Suh was sacked by the Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler on September 12, the first sacking. Sam Bradford made his first and only interception against the St. Louis Rams on October 10, as of 2021, career interception. On October 31, 2010, Suh scored his first touchdown of his NFL career against the Washington Redskins, sparking the recovery of a Rex Grossman fumble.

The Lions had Suh play an extra point against the New York Jets on November 7, 2010, after Jason Hanson sustained an injury to Lions kicker Jason Hanson. However, Suh missed the extra point when the ball struck the right upright.

Suh led the Lions in sacks for the 2010 season, including all offensive tackles and all defensive tackles. He was selected as a starter for the Pro Bowl, becoming the first Lions rookie since Barry Sanders to be selected as a Pro Bowl starter. He missed the game, but due to shoulder surgery. Suh was accepted into the All-Pro Team on January 25, 2011. He has also been named the Sporting News Rookie of the Year, the Pro Football Weekly and Pro Football Writers of America Rookie of the Year, and the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year, as well as the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Suh's rookie year saw him start with a league-record number of fines for on-the-field activities. In a week 9 game against the Browns for a gamemask of Jake Delhomme, he was fined $5,000 for using an opponent as leverage on a field goal and fined $15,000 for unnecessary roughness against quarterback Jay Cutler.

Suh pushed Packers' offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith's head into the ground three times during the Packers' Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers on November 24, 2011, then stomped on his arm three times. All of this occurred after the whistle was blown. Suh was banned from the game due to excessive roughness and ejected from the game. The Packers were declared the first down by the resulting penalty, giving them an automatic first down. Two plays later, the Packers would score a touchdown, giving them a 14–0 lead and a eventual 27–15 victory.

Suh denied stomping on Dietrich-Smith, saying he was just trying to recover his balance. The Lions' statement on Friday morning disapproving Suh's behavior as "unacceptable." Suh posted on Facebook a day before and said he'd "made a mistake" and wanted to learn about it within hours. "The question will not be if the NFL will suspend Suh, but when—and how many games?" Fox Sports NFL analyst and former officiating Mike Pereira said based on his experience of league discipline. He compared Suh's activities to Albert Haynesworth's for stomping on Andre Gurode's head in 2006.

Suh was suspended for two games without compensation on November 29, totaling $165,294 in missed pay. Roger Goodell announced the decision that it was the fifth time Suh had been disciplined for on-field offences. Suh appealed the decision, and the NFL held an expedited hearing before former Oakland Raiders coach Art Shell's, so a decision could be delivered before the Lions' next game, against the New Orleans Saints, was delayed until December 4. On December 2, the appeal was dismissed, causing Suh to miss the game against the Saints and the Minnesota Vikings' December 11 match.

Suh was named as a Pro Bowl alternate for the NFC following the 2011 NFL season. He had four sacks, one pass defended, and 26 tackles on the 2011 season.

Suh was involved in a game in which he kicked Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the groin during a Thanksgiving game on November 22, 2012. The incident resulted in a $30,000 fine from the league, nearly double the maximum fine for a second time of "striking/kicking/kneeing" an opponent. Some believed the fine was due to Suh's long tradition of questionable on-field hits, while others saw it as a "wishy" and "cop-out" measure by the league in the case of a large fine without a suspension. In reaction, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that "intent is something that's very difficult for us to decide." Suh denied that the kick was deliberate, claiming that his foot inadvertently struck Schaub as he was being pulled to the ground. Suh had eight sacks, two passes defended, and 25 tackles in 16 games (13 starts) as the 2012 season came to an end.

Suh low blocked John Sullivan during a DeAndre Levy "pick 6" in the Lions' Week 1 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, 34-24; the resulting personal foul nullified Levy's touchdown. Suh was fined $100,000 for the assault, which, not counting missed pay for suspensions, was the highest fine to a player for on-the-field activities. He appealed the fine, but the decision was later upheld by the NFL.

Suh confronted Browns QB Brandon Weeden in a tumultuous manner during the Lions' Week 6 victory over the Browns. Suh was suspended $31,500 by the NFL for not calling a foul during the game, but the fine was later cancelled.

Suh sacked Matt Flynn in the end zone during a Thanksgiving game against the Packers on November 28, 2013, causing a safety for the first time in his career. Suh was fined $7,875 for making a throat slash gesture during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 29, 2013.

In the 2014 season, Suh had 53 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Suh stepped on quarterback Aaron Rodgers' calf against the Green Bay Packers in Week 17. Suh was banned from the Wild Card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys the following week, but arbitrator Ted Cottrell reversed the suspension, opting instead for another fine worth $70,000. Suh also fired Tony Romo twice during the Wild Card matchup against the Cowboys.

The Miami Dolphins announced on March 11, 2015, that Suh has agreed to a six-year, $114 million contract with a $60 million guarantee. J. Watt, the Houston Texans' defensive end, made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, surpassing Houston's defensive end J. Watt.

Suh appeared to knock Morris' helmet off with his leg during a game against the Washington Redskins on September 13, 2015. The NFL decided they did not discipline him next day because "Suh's conduct was not considered a kick." Suh appeared in all 16 games in 2015, ending the season with 61 tackles, six sacks, and five passes defended. In 2016, he ranked 40th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

Suh played in all 16 games in 2016, with seven tackles, five sacks, and six passes defense. He was ranked 55th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

Suh was charged with two unnecessary roughness offenses on Thursday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens, including one where he threatened to choke Ryan Mallett and push him out of reach. Suh said that his choke on Mallett was motivated by self-defense, considering that Mallett attempted to assault him first. The Dolphins lost by 40–0. Suh had 48 combined tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles at the end of the season. On the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018, he was ranked 60th by his peers.

Suh was released on March 14, 2018, putting up a significant salary cap after three seasons with the Dolphins.

Suh signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams on March 26, 2018. When facing his former team, the Lions, Suh was fined $20,054 for a horse-collar tackle foul on December 2. Suh had 59 tackles and 4.5 sacks on the season, finishing the season with 59 tackles and 4.5 sacks. The Rams won 13 games and earned their second seed in the NFC for the second time in the NFC on the season. Suh had four tackles in the Dallas Cowboys' Divisional Round. Suh had four tackles and 1.5 sacks as the Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game, and Suh finished the game 26-23, with Suh winning by a whopping 26-23. In the Rams' 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots, Suh had two tackles in the Super Bowl.

The Rams did not give Suh a new deal or warned early in the new NFL season that they had decided not to move forward from him, and they did not inform him that they had not offered him a new one.

On May 23, 2019, Suh agreed to a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Suh recovered a fumble caused by teammate Shaquil Barrett's dismissal of a strip by a strip in Week 4, where he returned it 37 yards for a touchdown in his second season. Suh scored his third fumble return touchdown of his career in Week 12, after a 35–22 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, despite teammate Jason Pierre-Paul's stripping of Matt Ryan. Suh tied for the most fumbles returned for touchdowns in a season dominated by Ronde Barber with his second game. Suh had two tackles and recovered a forced fumble by teammate Carl Nassib in Week 13, which was 28–11 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Suh ended the 2019 season with 41 tackles, 2.5 sacks, four passes tackled, four interceptions, four fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns.

Suh re-signed with the Buccaneers on a one-year deal on March 26, 2020.

Suh earned his first two sacks of the season on Teddy Bridgewater during the 31–17 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. Suh finished the 2020 season with 43 tackles, six sacks, two passes blocked, and one forced fumble.

In February 2021, Suh won his first Super Bowl as Tampa Bay defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 31–9. Patrick Mahomes was suspended for 1.5 sacks during the game.

After undergoing testing, the Buccaneers' Suh re-signed to a one-year, $9 million deal on April 5, 2021. Suh appeared in all 17 games for the Buccaneers, racking 27 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks.

Suh has been chastised in the media by other players and the NFL for his brash style of play, and he was suspended a total of $216,875 by the league for four years in his career. Suh was named "the dirtiest player" in a poll conducted by Sporting News, according to a survey of fellow players. He had been suspended for nine personal fouls in his first two years, the most of any player in the league at the time. In a Forbes-publicized Nielsen survey in October 2012, he was named as the NFL's "Liked Player." Though Suh had been chastised for penalties early in his career, he was flagged just five times in 2019.

Source