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Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has earned the right to take his time and negotiate the best possible contract.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

In the NFL, long-term contracts are fiction and loyalty is only for the productive. As soon as a player offers diminishing returns, the team and its fans are more than happy to show them the door.

It's a business, after all. We've heard it a thousand times.

Ask DeMarcus Ware, Steve Smith and LaMarr Woodley. The three former All-Pros had spent their entire careers with a single franchise before being released last week; their 29 combined years of contributions reduced to cap savings.

In this league, where even the best athletes become disposable as soon as they turn 30, why is there a rush to label Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh as selfish?

In a rare instance, a player holds leverage in his negotiations, and Suh has no obligation to cater to the timetable of the organization or its fans as he navigates securing the best contract possible.

There is no question his upcoming $22.4 million cap hit is staggering. But that's not his fault. When the team asked, he restructured his deal twice.

The first time, in 2012, helped the Lions ink wide receiver Calvin Johnson to a long-term contract. The second restructuring, last offseason, gave Detroit the cap space to add free agents Reggie Bush, Glover Quin and Jason Jones.

That's not selfish.

In Suh's four-year career, he's never missed a game due to injury and he's only sat out a handful of practices. His work ethic and conditioning are unquestioned, possibly unmatched, by anyone else on the roster.

That's not selfish.

But because Suh, who is still under contract for another season, didn't meet an artificial deadline to sign an extension, set largely by fans, he's suddenly public enemy No. 1?

Give me a break.

Make no mistake about it, the Lions want to lock Suh up long-term this offseason.

It's only logical. He's been one of most dominant interior pass rushers since entering the league in 2009. But there was never a sense of urgency to get the deal done before the start of free agency. That deadline was created by those outside the organization.

In a lot of ways, it mirrors the team's negotiations with Matthew Stafford last year. The Lions announced, early in the offseason, they wanted to sign the franchise quarterback to an extension. While the move could have created extra cap space for free agency, a deal wasn't reached until July.

I get it, Suh signing before last week could have created more cap space in 2014. It also would have pushed more of the financial burden into the future, which is why we're having this conversation in the first place.

Also, Suh's decision to change agents -- and taking several weeks to decide on new representation -- hasn't helped the perception. Regardless, there's a decent chance an extension wouldn't have been worked out before the start of free agency.

NFL contracts are among the most complex in sports. While a deal may look great on the surface, it's all about the structure and the guarantees. Working out the fine details for Suh's extension was always going to take significant time.

The two sides have five months to reach an agreement. If Suh doesn't sign before the start of the regular season, it still doesn't make him selfish, but at that point, it would be fair to question his commitment to staying Detroit.

Odds are he signs. The Lions have a history of completing deals they publicly express an interest in making.

Suh will be 27 years old. That means he will likely have a few years of prime production before the inevitable decline hits. At that point, fans will discuss whether he's overpaid and should be released to create cap space.

Don't worry, no one will call you selfish when you do.

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